The Mentalist: The Final Frontier
by Donnamour1969
Summary: CONCLUSION NOW POSTED! Jane and Lisbon are in love. They are free to be together, but things-the FBI, NASA, turbulence-keep getting in the way. Will they ever get a break? Post-"Blue Bird," so spoilers all of Season 6. Romance/Humor. Rated T/M for language and adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay, so I guess this is my fourth "Blue Bird" inspired fic. I'm obsessed with the possible scenarios awaiting us in Season 7, so here is another idea that occurred to me. It's a bit spicier than the others, and I'm exploring a different side of both Jane and Lisbon. We haven't seen how they behave when they're both truly in love, and hot for each other, so that's what I try to do here. I'm thinking this fic will be five chapters or fewer, but I'm not sure at the moment. I know where I'm going, just don't know how long it will take to get there. Thanks for coming along with me for another ride.

**The Final Frontier**

**Chapter 1**

"Ahem," came the sound of Abbot's clearing throat.

Jane reluctantly broke away from Lisbon, her hand sliding across his stubbled cheek. He sat slowly (and a little unsteadily) back in the chair across from her, his eyes never leaving hers. His gaze was warm with the glow of a low flame, and her face was flushed from his tender kiss and the sudden embarrassment at their interruption. She averted her eyes from both men, and Jane's lips quirked into a soft smile.

"Lisbon," said Abbot in only mild surprise. "Change your mind about DC?"

She dutifully lifted her eyes to her boss. "Yes, sir. If I'm still welcome in Austin."

Jane felt his heart leap at her words. It was official then. She was staying.

"Of course," replied Abbot. "Never gave final approval to that transfer, remember."

"Thank you, sir."

Abbot turned to Jane. "Well, I called in a few favors, and got the TSA to release you, Jane, so you can thank your lucky stars you won't be facing some major federal crimes."

"How 'bout I just thank _you_," said Jane. He'd never felt he was a particularly lucky man. Well, not until about five minutes before.

"Actually, you can thank my wife," Abbot said wryly. "I told her about this stupid stunt you pulled and she thought it was the most romantic thing she'd ever heard. Told me I'd better go easy on you or she'd stop cooking for a week." He patted his stomach and grinned. "I have my priorities."

Jane mentally took note to send Abbot's wife the biggest bouquet he could find in Austin. Jane grinned. The truth was, Abbot could have very easily used this incident as an excuse to throw Jane in prison for being in violation of his contract with the FBI, but they both knew why he hadn't. Abbot wanted to keep the team together, and he knew Jane wouldn't work without Lisbon. Abbot was a pragmatic man, and Jane solved cases, a fact of which Jane was smugly aware.

"Well, thank Mrs. Abbot for me then," Jane said.

Abbot gave a noncommittal grunt. "At any rate, you're free. Your bag from the Lodge is already checked in at the gate. We're going to have to hurry to make our flight. You too, Lisbon."

He'd been pretty confident they would both be heading back together. Jane had to hand it to Abbot—he was no slouch in reading human behavior himself.

Jane and Lisbon rose reluctantly, Jane tentatively testing his sprained ankle.

"By the way," said Abbot, as they respectively walked and limped out of the TSA detention area. A courtesy tram was waiting to whisk them to the security checkpoint. "We've got a case-in Houston."

"Houston?" asked Lisbon. "You mean we're not going back to Austin?"

"Not till we solve this case." He handed them a couple of brown file folders. "Something to read on the plane. Cho took the first flight out this morning, and Fischer is staying on in Miami to tie up loose ends on the De Jorio case, but she should be able to make it to Houston late this afternoon. Wylie is driving down from Austin and meeting us there. You two, do me a favor and get your minds back on the job now, will ya?"

"Yes, sir," said Lisbon, shyly avoiding Jane's eyes.

Jane had no comment; he was too busy staring adoringly at Lisbon.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were separated on the flight, much to Jane's frustration. He sat toward the back of the plane, a mother and little boy beside him. Lisbon was several rows away, next to a couple of newlyweds, and Abbot had paid out of his own pocket for the larger seats and extra legroom in first class. There would be no trading seats, and the flight was full. Lisbon gave Jane a regretful shrug and found her seat, putting her bag in the overhead bin. Jane managed to sneak in a quick peck on her cheek before she sat down, and she blushed, both of them remembering being on a similar plane the day before. Ironically, Jane was in row twelve this time, though he had an aisle seat.

Jane spent the first part of the flight to Houston staring morosely at the back of Lisbon's dark head. It was torture, having to settle for only a brief taste of her soft lips after all the years he'd already waited. For once, he had no patience with the child who squawked constantly to his mother from the window seat, and he tapped his good foot in uncharacteristic agitation. He could have caused a scene, maybe come up with some ruse to sit closer to Lisbon, but he knew any kind of ruckus could land him back in hot water with the TSA (and perhaps with Lisbon), so he reluctantly refrained.

Still, his blood hummed with longing, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. An hour into the two and a half hour flight, he abruptly unbuckled his seatbelt and limped down the aisle to Lisbon's row. He squatted beside her and gazed at her a moment as she sat there on the aisle, trying to get some sleep. There were circles beneath her eyes, darkening her pale skin. Lack of sleep he supposed, and the residual puffiness from crying. He imagined he looked much the same way. It had been an emotionally trying twenty-four hours. He hated to wake her, but he was as impatient as a child at Christmas.

"Lisbon," he whispered, touching her hand. She jerked awake.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly as her eyes focused on him in some surprise. "I uh…missed you."

Two days ago she would have batted his hand away in annoyance, demanding he get back in his seat. Now, she smiled softly, her cheeks blooming with color. "Me too," she said.

She laced her fingers with his, and both of them looked down at their joined hands in awe. It was then that Lisbon noticed that, instead of a gold band on his left hand, there was only a white tan line. She looked up into his somber eyes, felt hers mist over. He was truly ready to move on. _With her_.

"How's your ankle?" she asked, unable to form the words she really wanted to say. He smiled gently in understanding. There would be plenty of time for that later, when they were truly alone.

"Better, I guess." He had taken his shoe off again against the swelling, and his heavy cream-colored sock looked garish against the dark industrial carpet.

The flight attendants were rolling their refreshment cart back toward them from the front of the plane, handing out drinks and little packets of pretzels along the way. Jane didn't have much time.f

"So, is everything all right with you?" He asked her, his expression a bit hesitant. She could still back out…

She squeezed his hand, her dimples appearing as she smiled. "Everything's fine, Jane. I haven't changed my mind."

It was strange being read like that by her, almost as strange as being unable to read her accurately for the past month. "I'm glad," he said, and brought her hand to his lips.

"Pardon us, sir, but we need to keep rolling. Please return to your seat and let us offer you something to drink." The attendants had stopped right in front of him.

"Bye," said Lisbon softly.

"Meet me in the restroom later," he whispered, his eyes mischievous.

"No way," she hissed back, but he'd already made his way back down the aisle. The man next to Lisbon smirked knowingly; he'd heard their entire conversation.

"He just needs help with his uh…foot. He sprained it," she finished lamely.

The man shook his head and went back to reading his Kindle.

After the flight attendants had finished their beverage service, Jane rose again and went to the restroom at the front of the plane, touching Lisbon's shoulder as he passed. She stared after him, her heart thumping.

It had only been a little over an hour that they had kissed for the first time. She could hardly believe it had happened, though when she closed her eyes she could still feel the warmth of his lips on hers, the quick, seeking swipe of his tongue inside her mouth. She'd never felt such joy, such a sense of rightness. It had only lasted seconds, but those few moments had changed everything.

Before she'd found Jane in the TSA detention area, she'd called Pike and told him the truth. She didn't love Marcus enough to move to DC, and certainly not enough to marry him. He'd told her they didn't have to rush, didn't even have to live together—just begged her to give their relationship a chance. She'd ended the call, sad that she'd hurt him, that she'd deceived herself so terribly. But now she'd been given the only man she'd ever truly loved, she realized happily, and he was waiting for her in the airplane lavatory.

She avoided the amused eyes of her neighboring passenger and unbuckled herself, walking purposefully toward the restrooms. Looking around to be sure a flight attendant wasn't watching, she tapped lightly on the door marked _occupied_. She heard the latch slide, and she pushed on the accordion style door.

Jane had backed up as far as he could to allow her to squeeze inside, practically sitting on the sink, and he chuckled quietly as she maneuvered herself into the tiny enclosure. With great struggle, and lots of unintentional (and tantalizing) contact with Jane, she managed to close and lock the door behind her. Her breathing audible from both her exertion and excitement, she turned and faced him, finding that he was much, much closer than she'd anticipated.

"Hi," he said, eyes sparkling down at her. He had one foot on the floor, the other knee on the toilet, and his hip pressed almost painfully against the sink.

"Hi," was her breathless reply.

"Well, this is very brave of you, Teresa," he said softly, one hand going up to brush a strand of dark hair from her eyes. "But I knew you'd come."

She tried to look annoyed, but the pleasure of being so near to him made her fail miserably. Still, she couldn't let him get too confident, at least not yet.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes," he said. "'Without curiosity…woman would not be woman,'" he paraphrased.

She arched an eyebrow. "Who came up with that chauvinistic expression?"

He grinned. "Some French guy- but I'm so glad he was right."

He cut off her affronted reply with a kiss she felt clear to her toes. It was nothing like their first at the airport. While that had been filled with the sweetness of newfound love and tentative exploration, this was all longing and pent-up desire. His sensual lips were masterful, at once teasing and fulfilling, and she opened to him gladly, his tongue hot and potent in her mouth, tasting of his recent cup of orange pekoe. Her fingers slid into his hair, the softness bringing an ache to her heart, a grateful hum emitting from her throat. He smelled of expensive cologne and, faintly, the sweat of two days without a shower, his beard a bit scratchy against her cheeks. She breathed him in, wanting to absorb his very essence, hungry for him in a way she had never experienced before.

His hands glided down her arms to her waist, and he pulled her closer still—her first intimate contact with Jane as a man. It was humbling, exciting, and a bit surreal. He was already aroused, and she could feel the slight trembling in his fingers, his breaths shaky as their lips parted briefly for air.

"Teresa," he said, and then he took her mouth again.

Her lips were captivating, yet he continued to explore her bottom through the barrier of her jeans, then her back beneath her blouse, eager to experience all of her at once. The smoothness of her skin made his heart lurch, increasing the intensity of his kisses tenfold. His hands moved from her back to her flat stomach, then up to her lace covered breasts, full and responsive in his hands.

"Jane," she gasped, turning her head from his overwhelming kisses. "We have to stop."

At the loss of her lips, he compensated by raining open-mouthed kisses on her neck, finding her delicate ear and laving the lobe with his tongue. When he nipped it gently, she had to grip his shoulders to keep her knees from buckling. As usual, he was ignoring what he didn't want to hear.

"I am not…having sex…with you on…an airplane," she maintained while his dexterous fingers brushed back and forth over her nipples. She still wasn't stopping him, not really, though her hands now rested on his chest, feeling the tattoo of his pounding heart.

"What? No Mile-High Club, Teresa?" he whispered near her ear. She shivered, closing her eyes tightly against the sensory overload.

Sudden turbulence jolted them around like dice in a Yahtzee cup. Jane fell against the sink, taking Lisbon with him. She slipped, banging her head against the wall before he could catch her, yelping in pain.

A disembodied voice gave them the bad news.

"We will be experiencing some mild turbulence, ladies and gentlemen, so the captain has asked that everyone return to their seats and fasten your seatbelts."

"Shit," he cursed under his breath, both at Lisbon's injury and his sexual frustration.

He carefully smoothed back her hair to examine the red blotch on her forehead.

"Ow!"

"Sorry," he said, cringing.

Maneuvering around her, he wet a paper towel with cold water and pressed it to the lump that was already forming below her hairline. The plane shook alarmingly, and when they both were jostled violently again, Jane had to reluctantly admit it wasn't safe in the tiny restroom anymore.

"You go first," he told her. He kissed her cheek. "I'll see you in Houston."

When Lisbon emerged from the lavatory, she felt several pairs of eyes alighting on her, and she blushed furiously, avoiding looking directly at anyone as she stumbled back to her seat in the bucking plane. It was only when she sat down that she realized her blouse was unbuttoned down to her bra.

Her row mate didn't even try to hide his grin, as his eyes wandered to her disheveled appearance.

"What the hell are you looking at?" she growled, reaching for her buttons.

The man held up his hands in surrender and turned his head toward the window.

In the restroom, Jane looked down at the bulge in his pants in dismay; the thought of sitting in his seat for another hour or so in this condition was unbearable. He tried closing his eyes, breathing deeply, thinking of baseball stats and reciting the periodic table. But thoughts of smoky green eyes and soft breasts kept overcoming his every attempt at biofeedback and psychological subterfuge. He caught sight of himself in the mirror. His face was flushed, eyes dark with unfulfilled desire, his hair sticking up courtesy of Lisbon's fingers. He shook his head at his reflection, realizing this problem wasn't going to be so easily solved.

With a heavy sigh, Jane unzipped his trousers, while the plane jumped crazily beneath his feet.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cho was there to meet them in an FBI SUV. After stowing their small bags in the rear storage compartment, Abbot climbed in the passenger's seat and Jane and Lisbon got in back. Broad daylight prohibited the surreptitious meandering of naughty hands, and besides, Jane didn't want to anger Lisbon by making out with her in the backseat in sight of their boss. But boy, was he sorely tempted—his hands fairly twitched with the self-control he was exerting. His remedy in the bathroom had only been a temporary fix.

With a herculean effort of her own, Lisbon avoided looking Jane directly in the face, fearful her coworkers would know in an instant that she had very recently been fooling around with Jane in the airplane lavatory.

Of course, their uncharacteristic silence and the sexual tension between them were dead giveaways that something was definitely up between them. Still reeling a bit from his own recent revelation, Cho kept glancing in the rearview mirror at his long-time colleagues, trying to come to terms with how he could have been so blind. After his talk with Abbot, he'd chalked it up to denial out of self-preservation. After all, he'd had to suffer through years of Rigsby and Van Pelt's romantic drama; the last thing Cho wanted was to see his former boss and the perpetually troublesome consultant go at it.

"Any ransom demands or phone calls from the kidnappers?" Abbot was asking Cho.

"No. Wylie's set up at the victim's house. He said he'd call if something came through. Houston PD is waiting for us to arrive."

Abbot turned to look over his shoulder at Jane and Lisbon. "Any insight from those files?"

Jane had actually forgotten all about the case; his file was still stuck in his bag in the back.

"Not yet," he hedged.

Abbot's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Last time Jane had said he'd had nothing, they'd been led on a wild goose chase to Miami.

"I'm surprised Homeland Security's not on this, considering it's an astronaut whose been abducted," said Lisbon. "I figured they'd be concerned about national secrets or something."

Jane shot Lisbon a look of surprise. _An astronaut?_

"I thought that too," said Abbot, "but DC is taking a wait and see attitude here. Major Nelson is a wealthy man, so unless the motive appears to be more than financially motivated, they're leaving it to us."

"Major Nelson? Really?" Jane said in amusement. It was obvious this was the first he'd heard the ironic name of the victim.

Lisbon handed Jane the file she was holding. "Here, try doing your homework for a change," she said wryly. He purposely touched her fingers in the handoff, and they both felt the pleasant jolt of awareness. Jane grinned, and Lisbon's gaze skittered away self-consciously.

"Any suspects?" Jane asked, scanning the contents of the file.

"Not yet," said Cho. "I've only had time to interview the wife so far, though. The major never made it home after work last night, and Mrs. Nelson called his office at NASA, but no one had seen him since five p.m. yesterday. The area hospitals hadn't had any accident victims meeting his description. Around two this morning, a call came from his abductors. They said they'd state their demands in twelve hours. That's when she called the police."

Jane glanced at his watch. There was less than an hour remaining.

"After the call, Lisbon, you and Jane might have to go to NASA and talk to his co-workers," said Abbot.

"Yes, sir."

"Ahh…the final frontier," said Jane with his first spark of genuine interest in the case.

Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me, you always wanted to be an astronaut, or maybe Captain Kirk."

"Captain Picard, actually," Jane countered. "Hey, I was born and grew up in the space age. Nothing was more exciting than gathering around the TV and watching a space shuttle launch. Astronauts are heroes, as far as I'm concerned. Boldly going, etcetera, etcetera…"

"Huh," said Cho, surprised. Jane was always so pessimistic about everything remotely bureaucratic. Who would have thought that didn't include NASA? Of course, Cho felt the same way about the space program, so he shared the belief that this kidnapping was especially heinous.

"Let's do our best to get him home then," said Abbot. "I hear he has a mission in two days."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I want five-hundred-thousand dollars sent by wire transfer to this bank account…"

And the electronically modified voice rattled off a long stream of numbers on the speaker phone, which Wylie dutifully wrote down, even though they were also recording the call.

"Wow, you're aiming pretty low, aren't you?" Jane said, and Lisbon gasped beside him.

"Is that the police?" asked the caller menacingly of the trembling Mrs. Nelson. "I said, no police."

"Meh, you knew she'd call the police," said Jane. "He's an astronaut after all."

"I'm sorry," said Mrs. Nelson through her tears. "I was so scared—"

"The money better be in that account by five o'clock tonight, or Nelson's dead."

"We need proof of life," said Jane.

"You'll just have to trust me. Five o'clock." And he ended the call.

"Did you get that?" asked Abbot.

"Yeah. But it was a burner," replied Wylie.

"What if he's already killed James?" Mrs. Nelson said in despair.

"He's not dead," said Jane confidently.

"Jane," warned Lisbon. When would he learn to stop making unfounded suppositions? Though, she had to admit, he was usually right…

"There's something else going on here," he continued. "Why is he asking so little for a man who has millions?"

"It's not about the money," ventured Cho.

"Exactly."

"At any rate, we need to keep this out of the media as long as we can," said Abbot. "That little order comes directly from the White House."

"Yes sir," said Lisbon, Cho, and Wylie in unison. Jane merely shrugged.

They'd been sitting around the large, formal dining room table, Jane next to Lisbon. Upon the table, Wylie had set up his computer and phone tracing equipment. Beneath the table, a silent war raged between Jane's naughty hands and Lisbon's valiant attempts to hide her reactions and focus on the case.

It had started with Jane moving his leg to touch hers. That was rather nice, and she happily allowed that, enjoying their closeness. Unfortunately, this only encouraged him. When his hand dropped to her thigh, her eyes shot him a warning glance. She put her hand on top of his, gently but firmly moving it away. She barely controlled her gasp when it returned with a vengeance, sliding up her inner thigh and stopping just below her crotch. This time, she pinched his hand hard. He retreated, but a slight grin hovered around his lips, and his eyes glittered with banked desire.

Across the table, Cho met Lisbon's eyes. He frowned slightly, as if he knew exactly what was going on beneath the table. Lisbon blushed and looked away, kicking Jane beneath the table for good measure. He covered his laughter with a cough.

Oblivious to all of this, Serena Nelson, the young wife of Major James Nelson, seemed beside herself with worry and fear. Of course, the spouse was always the first suspect, so Jane watched the woman dispassionately a moment, paying close attention to the genuineness of her emotional display.

"Who would want to kidnap your husband, Serena? Anyone hold a grudge against him?"

She lowered the tissue from her eyes. "No one. Everyone loves him. He's a national hero."

Jane nodded toward a large framed picture on the wall of Nelson in his space suit, the NASA insignia and American flag in the background. It seemed to be some sort of public relations advertising.

"He's literally the poster boy for NASA, isn't he?" Jane mused. Nelson was a handsome man, with the blonde, all-American good looks the public loved when it came to these kinds of iconic roles.

Following his gaze, Serena managed to smile through her tears. "Yes. He's the kind of man who seems too good to be true—but really isn't; he's exactly the man he appears to be. Decent, hardworking, brilliant…"

"Hmm," Jane said enigmatically. "Come on, Lisbon, let's head to NASA."

Abbot nodded. "I've already been in touch with the administrator there at Clear Lake. They're expecting you. Fischer will be here to pick us up when her flight gets in. Wylie, you tag along. Cho and I can handle this stuff, maybe talk to the neighbors."

Jane's face fell. So much for being alone with Lisbon.

"Really?" said Wylie, trying but failing to hide his excitement.

"Sure. It's good for you to get some field experience," Abbot replied, and Jane saw the flash of amusement in the agent's eyes. That sly dog.

"Cool," said Wylie.

"Yeah," muttered Jane grumpily, as they headed out of the Nelson home. "Cool."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They spent the next two hours interviewing Nelson's fellow astronauts and other coworkers. Everyone seemed shaken to hear Nelson was missing, especially with the possible delay of the upcoming mission to the International Space Station. A lot of time and money had been invested in this mission, with both the Americans and the Russians depending on the delivery of supplies to the station. Nelson was to copilot the Soyuz craft with the Russian crew in Kazakhstan, and had been scheduled to leave for the Russian Cosmodrome in two days.

Lisbon swore everyone they spoke with to secrecy, emphasizing to them that any leaks could put Nelson in danger. Wylie took copious notes on his tablet, even snapping pictures of each person they interviewed.

On their way back to the parking lot, Wylie began reviewing his notes.

"Anyone seem like a viable suspect to you, Mr. Jane?" he asked.

"Meh," Jane replied dismissively. He actually did have his suspicions of one particular astronaut, but he would wait a bit and see what else might develop. "What do _you_ think, my young apprentice?"

Wylie grinned at the _Star Wars_ reference, then proceeded to give an in-depth analysis of each of the ten people they'd spoken to. Jane and Lisbon were silent, barely listening to the analyst as he prattled on. For her part, Lisbon was still fuming (and shaking) from the kiss Jane had stolen when he'd pulled her into an alcove. Wylie had been occupied examining an empty space suit, but more so by their guide, a cute scientist about Wylie's age who had been assigned to lead them around the NASA compound.

Her lips were still burning, her heart aflutter when she thought of his surreptitious touches during the rest of their investigation, and Jane's sore ankle gave him plenty of excuses to lag behind with Lisbon and take her hand for _support_.

Now, Lisbon unlocked the SUV and the three of them climbed inside, Wylie continuing his monologue.

"…then there was Major Garret. He's older than Nelson, but has never been in space before—"

"Wylie," interrupted Jane rather rudely. "I'll give you a hundred dollars to leave this vehicle for ten minutes."

"Jane—" said Lisbon in annoyance.

"But Agent Abbot said I was under no circumstances to leave your side," said Wylie.

Just as Jane had suspected.

Jane fished inside his suit coat pocket for his wallet. "Two hundred," came his counter offer.

Wylie reached over the console from the backseat and swiped the bills from Jane's hand.

"I'll give you _fifteen_ minutes," Wylie said magnanimously. He exited the vehicle, heading for an old rocket on display near the main entrance.

"Now," Jane began, reaching for Lisbon's hand. "Where were we?"

"This has got to stop, Jane," she said, "I can barely concentrate on my job."

Jane smiled rakishly. "What a coincidence-me neither."

He leaned over to nuzzle her neck beneath her hair. She smelled amazing, and he wondered if she tasted just as good. The tip of his tongue came out to swipe over her neck and she shuddered, her hands going to his shoulders.

"Hmm," he hummed. Even better than he'd imagined.

"Jane…please," she begged half-heartedly.

He deliberately misunderstood her plea, and covered her mouth instead. She was helpless to resist him, letting him have his way with her lips and tongue, his hands roaming over the curves beneath her blouse with tantalizing confidence. This was Jane in full romantic mode, and now, finally released after years of suppression, the full force of his passion was overwhelming. She kissed him back with just as much ardor, knowing full well this was highly unprofessional, not to mention completely and blissfully out of character.

"Let's move to the back seat," he whispered harshly. "We have…eleven minutes."

She let out an involuntary bark of laughter. "What can we possibly do in eleven minutes?"

She felt his grin against her cheek. "Oh, won't you be pleasantly surprised."

He found her mouth again, distracting her while he reached across her to the door handle.

"No," she said, though she wanted to find out what he meant with every fiber of her being. Summoning all her strength, she pushed him back to the passenger's seat. He sat there in surprise, momentarily disoriented and breathing heavily.

"Lisbon—"

"We need to lay some ground rules."

"Rules aren't exactly what I want to lay at the moment," he said with a suggestive gleam in his eye. He took her hands again, pleased that her pulse skittered violently at her wrists.

She jerked her hands away, childishly folding her arms across her breasts. She took a deep, shaky breath, willing her heart to calm, her chest to stop heaving painfully.

"Nevertheless," she continued determinedly, "I have no plans of losing my job, okay? We are mature adults, not horny—"

"Speak for yourself."

She couldn't help smiling; he was so adorably and flatteringly aroused by her. She couldn't remember ever feeling so desired, not even with her first serious boyfriend back when she _was_ a teenager.

"Okay, then, for myself, for my _own_ sanity and job security, there's to be no touching of any kind while we're on the job."

He shook his head once. "Not gonna happen."

"Jane."

"I'm not saying I'm going to purposefully set out to disobey your rules—" here she raised her eyebrows skeptically—"but the way we're both feeling right now, I think it is highly improbable that you'll be able to keep your hands off me for the duration of this case."

"Oh, really? You're that irresistible, are you?" The man's ego knew no bounds.

"To you? Yes."

"I've been resisting your for thirteen years, Jane. I'm pretty sure I can restrain myself for a couple more days."

"For thirteen years, we've both managed to hold ourselves in check, it's true. But I'm not holding back anymore, Teresa, and I'm sure you don't want to either. Why deny ourselves any longer? Besides, now that the proverbial dam has burst, there will be no holding back this wave of—"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Spare me the corny metaphors, Romeo. If you will simply keep your hands to yourself, I'll be able to do the same, I assure you, the _dam_ be damned."

He looked at her pityingly. "You're only deceiving yourself, Lisbon."

"Maybe, but I'm going to give it a good college try. Can I count on you?"

He regarded her a moment, and the seed of a plan implanted in his brain.

"Fine. I will comport myself with just as much self control as you do—that's as far as I will promise."

She eyed him critically, searching for subterfuge. He stared back at her, his eyes still filled with passion, so beautiful, so tempting. She nearly leaned over to kiss him, shocked at her overpowering desire to do so. She felt like she was drowning in heated green pools, her body swaying toward him almost against her will…a disturbing thought occurred to her, and she blinked.

"Quit that," she snapped.

"Quit what?"

He looked completely guileless, which meant of course he was doing something underhanded.

"Absolutely no hypnotizing."

"Now, Lisbon, that would be cheating."

"You bet it would be. You know how I feel about hypnosis. No more crap like that or this whole thing will be over before it even begins, Jane, so help me God."

"Okay. But can't you give me a little incentive to get me through this?" He gave her his most persuasive puppy dog eyes, which, while on another man would be a complete turn-off, on Jane Lisbon found them heart meltingly endearing. She forced her betraying heart to harden.

"I just let you kiss me and feel me up in the front of an SUV in broad daylight. That should tide you over for awhile."

He grinned. "That might make the waiting worse, actually. But what I mean is, I need a goal to work toward, something to challenge me. If I behave myself—as far as you do, mind—what will be my reward?"

She thought a moment. "When we get back to Austin, I'll let you take me out on a real date, to make up for that catastrophe in Florida."

"That's nice. And then what?"

"Well, what had been your plan for after dinner that night at the Blue Bird, Jane?" she asked, remembering the adjoining suites, the ocean view.

"I was going to take you dancing, tell you I was in love with you, then throw all my considerable charm into seducing you."

Her heart gave a loud thump. "Oh…that was a good plan." She swallowed. "Okay, if you are a very good boy, that will be your reward."

"Deal," he said softly, compellingly. "It'll be _your _reward as well, Teresa, I promise."

She had little doubt of that.

He held out his hand to shake on the deal, and she almost fell for it. She tucked her hands more firmly beneath her armpits, and he grinned at the near miss.

"Deal," she said instead.

At that moment, both of them jumped to hear the backseat door open upon Wylie's return.

"You need more time?" he asked brightly, putting his hand out for more.

"Yes," said Jane, at the same time Lisbon gave a vehement "No!"

She buckled her seatbelt and started the car, clearly giving both men her answer.

"Chicken," he murmured, so only she could hear.

She pointedly ignored him, and Jane chuckled confidently to himself.

No way in hell would he have to wait until Austin to get her into bed. She'd be practically begging for it long before they left Houston—it was an astronomical certainty.

**A/N: So, what do you think so far? Please leave a review, and be sure to sign in if you want a reply to any questions, etc. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow! I'm amazed at all your wonderful, inspiring, kind reviews, favorites, and follows! I'm so pleased you are enjoying this! I hope to keep your interest with more humor and heat.

**Chapter 2**

After they left NASA, Lisbon drove through a fast-food place and bought hamburgers and French fries for everyone, Jane and Wylie wolfing theirs down on the way, while Lisbon munched on a few fries. She and Jane hadn't eaten much that day besides airport pastries for their separate breakfasts, and a snack on the plane. For her part, Lisbon was too jittery to eat much. The sexual tension between them was making her too nervous to eat. He grinned knowingly and reached for another burger from the bag. Well, if she wasn't going to eat it…

They pulled up to the Nelson's home once more, where an additional vehicle, a rental sedan, was parked in the circle drive. Fischer had arrived. Jane made a special effort to stay a respectful distance from Lisbon as they walked up the front steps of the mansion, carrying the takeout bags. She eyed him suspiciously, but deliberately avoided him, even though all she really wanted to do was find a quiet room somewhere and...well, that line of thought wasn't helping her self control any.

Inside, Serena Nelson had been joined by her mother for moral support, but Abbot had discouraged her from calling any of Major Nelson's family. No sense worrying anyone or creating a circus-like atmosphere. Besides, they lived out of state. Mother and daughter were in the kitchen trying to find comfort in a pot of tea, refusing the burgers, and Cho, Abbot, and Fischer had remained by the phone in the dining room waiting for the kidnapper to call back, grateful for the unexpected dinner. They all gathered at the table

Cho had transferred the money to the kidnapper's account an hour before, and the closer it came to five o'clock, the more they figured that would be the time of his next contact.

"What did you learn from his coworkers?" Abbot asked, unwrapping his burger.

"Nothing concrete," said Jane enigmatically.

"Everyone was hyped up about this upcoming mission, about the possibility that it might not happen. Major Nelson is pretty important to its success," said Lisbon.

"What happens if the mission is cancelled?" asked Cho, before shoving several fries in his mouth. "Who benefits from that?"

"Insightful question," said Jane. "Who _does_ benefit—from any of this?"

"Not NASA," said Wylie, logging on and checking to be sure the money transfer into the kidnapper's account had been successful. It had. Cho had done a good job.

"Not his wife," said Fischer, her voice low. The kidnapping made no sense if Serena Nelson had done it. She had a legal right to all his money, and she certainly could have afforded to have him killed if she'd wanted him dead.

"Hmm," said Jane, tapping his bottom lip while moving around the dining room. He studied the expensive artwork on the walls. "What if she didn't want him to go on this mission? Maybe feared for his safety? Kidnapping him might have been the only way to keep him off that flight."

"I don't think so," said Cho. "She seems genuinely afraid to me."

"Yes, she does," Jane agreed.

"You guys have any luck with the neighbors? Did they see anything?" asked Lisbon.

"The lady next door said she was out getting her paper when Nelson left yesterday morning, but no one else remembers seeing his comings or goings for a few days," replied Abbot.

"We know he went to work yesterday," said Wylie. Now he was trying to tap into traffic camera footage around NASA. "We're waiting on NASA to release its security video, but Nelson's car wasn't in the parking lot, so the abduction must have happened after he left work. I'm trying to find footage from area traffic cams to trace his route. We might need to request security images from local businesses."

"Let us know what you need," said Abbot.

Jane wandered into the kitchen, careful to walk as closely as he could to Lisbon as he passed by her. He felt her heightened awareness, heard her soft gasp when she thought he was going to touch her, but didn't. He smiled to himself.

"Do you still think he's alive?" Serena Nelson asked him in the kitchen, while he helped himself to tea. "I mean, now that they have their money…"

"Yes," Jane said, retrieving milk from the large, stainless steel refrigerator.

"We've seen no evidence your husband has any enemies. In fact, I'm not even convinced whoever has him is an enemy."

"How can that be?" asked Serena's mother. She was a handsome woman, who must have been quite the looker in her youth, just as her daughter was.

"Just a feeling. But the fact that he didn't ask for much money—relatively speaking—is a good indication that they don't need it. Therefore, the kidnapping could be a ruse of sorts."

"A ruse?" said Serena, shocked at the notion. "You mean this whole thing could be a fake? Why would someone do such a cruel thing?"

"Oh, the kidnapping is definitely real," said Jane. "But I think it's meant to cover something else up, some other motive."

From the other room, the telephone rang. Serena and her mother tensed with alarm, looking askance at Jane.

"Go answer it," he said simply. He followed them into the dining room, bringing along his cup of tea.

"We received the money," said the voice on speakerphone. "Very good. Your husband is still alive because of your cooperation. Tomorrow, I will give you more information on when you will see him."

"Let her talk to him," said Jane. "The poor woman is suffering here."

The disembodied voice seemed to hesitate. "There is no need to worry. He is being well taken care of."

And the kidnapper hung up. Serena began to cry softly, her mother taking her in her arms to comfort her. Jane, Lisbon, and Cho met each other's eyes. The kidnapper cared about his victim.

Abbot looked to Wylie. The analyst shook his head. Nothing new, trace-wise.

"Why don't you go get some rest, Mrs. Nelson?" said Abbot gently. "Agent Wylie will stay here and watch the phone, and he'll contact us if there is another call. The rest of my team will try to follow up on a few more leads. We will set up a home base at the Holiday Inn over on Interstate 45. In the meantime, Houston PD will have a patrol car right outside in case of emergency."

"Okay," said, sniffling.

Serena's mother gave the team a small smile of appreciation, and helped her distraught daughter out of the dining room and up the grand staircase.

Outside the Nelson residence, Abbot turned to his team.

"Lisbon, you and Cho go back to NASA, see if you can gain access to that video since they're not getting in any hurry to send us a copy. Maybe we can trace his movements within the compound yesterday, see who he spoke to, if he got into any arguments or met with anyone suspicious."

"I'll tag along," Jane said, unwilling to be foiled again.

"No, Jane, I have something special for you and Fischer to do."

"What?" he asked, hypocritically despising those who kept secrets from him.

Abbot gave a good imitation of one of Jane's noncommittal grins. "You'll see."

Cho and Lisbon headed for the SUV, but Jane trotted after them. She was just about to close the passenger side door.

"Hey," he said, putting a hand on the door to keep it open. "Aren't you going to say goodbye?"

She blushed at the blatantly sensual way he was looking at her. She glanced at Cho, who was buckling his seatbelt, then looking straight ahead, trying to ignore them.

"I'll see you later at the hotel, Jane," she said in irritation. It's not like they'd never been separated on a case before.

He stared into her eyes a moment, then focused on her lips.

"Jane," she whispered, feeling warm all over. "Good-bye."

Satisfied with the desired effect, he gave her a slow grin. "See you later. Bye, Cho."

Jane pushed the door closed for her, then, hands in his coat pockets, caught up with Abbot and Fischer in the rental. Lisbon could have sworn the bastard was whistling.

The two vehicles went their separate directions, Cho and Lisbon quiet in the SUV.

"Would you like me to kick his ass?" Cho asked suddenly, after they'd merged onto the turnpike.

Lisbon turned to look at him, startled. "What? Why?"

"Last time I saw you two together, you were throwing a glass of water in his face."

Lisbon grinned. "Well, yesterday I would have gladly taken you up on that. But we're okay now. Jane is Jane—I don't know why I am ever surprised by anything he does."

"I thought you'd be in DC by now."

She was tempted to tell him it was none of his business, but Cho had been a loyal friend and coworker for the better part of fifteen years. And these personal questions were out of character for Cho. He must really be concerned to cross that line. She supposed she owed it to him to tell him what was going on, herself, and not be made to hear it from somebody else. She sighed.

"I suppose you heard what he did at the airport."

"Yes. That was stupid, even for him."

She chuckled. "Yes, it was. But he…he said some things I've wanted him to say for years, and later, so did I. But I promise you, I won't let our relationship interfere with our work."

"I'm not worried about _you_," said Cho.

_You should be_, thought Lisbon nervously, remembering their last searing kiss in the NASA parking lot.

"Well, the offer still stands," he said, and Lisbon had no doubt he wouldn't bring up the subject again unless she did.

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied with a grin.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later, with no word from the kidnapper and only dead ends in the investigation, Abbot released the team to get some sleep. Lisbon was grateful, since she'd been awake the better part of two days straight. Jane was less so, given their sleeping arrangements.

The Holiday Inn had been nearly full, with only three rooms available, each with two full-sized beds. They would have to double up. Abbot also insisted it was a way to save the American taxpayers' money, but Jane guessed it was another blatant attempt to keep Teresa and him out of trouble and focused on the job. Naturally, the two women would be sharing a room, and Jane would bunk with Cho. Since Wylie was staying on at the Nelson home, Abbot had a room to himself for the time being. Not fair, but Jane didn't even bother arguing; it was good to be king. Instead, he stared grumpily at Lisbon as they met in Abbot's room for a last briefing before bed. At least there was pizza.

He was still annoyed that the _something special _Abbot had for him turned out to be final reports from the De Jorio case that Fischer had brought back from Florida. Since he'd been a witness at the final shoot-out, they needed his official statement and signature to close the case. The report took him ten minutes, then he spent the rest of the evening until Lisbon arrived, taking a nap in his room and sulking.

"Good-night, everyone," Lisbon said, before heading to her room with Fischer. Her eyes met Jane's across the room, and he was cheered a bit by her regretful expression. Good-he wasn't the only one suffering. Had Jane had his way, they'd be sharing a room together, and _not_ sleeping the rest of the night. He gave her a quick wink, pleased with her instant blush.

"'Night, ladies," Jane replied.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So, what's up with you and Jane?" asked Fischer as she and Lisbon entered their nondescript hotel room. They set down their luggage and fell back on their respective beds, tired to their bones.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, Teresa. I heard all about Jane's epic airplane confession. Abbot's wife even called me to get the skinny. Don't be surprised if you two get a dinner invitation soon."

Lisbon's hands went to her face. She groaned in embarrassment.

Fischer chuckled. "I think it's great, really, the two of you together. But I have to say, I pegged it from the beginning."

"There was nothing going on when I first met you. I didn't think anything would _ever_ go on; that's why I was leaving."

"How'd Pike take it?"

"Oh, God. I feel terrible. He gave me the chance to come clean a couple times, but I didn't want to ruin things between us. I was so selfish, Kim. I guess I was hedging my bets in case Jane didn't say anything, but then he wimped out on me, the coward. I guess we were both cowards…"

"Until last night."

"Yes," she said softly, remembering. "Leave it to Jane to come to his senses in the last minute."

"I'm happy for you both, Teresa, seriously."

"Thanks. I just hope we don't screw it up, or end up losing our jobs all over again because of it."

Fischer laughed. "You're a brave woman, to take on a man like Patrick Jane."

"Brave, or incredibly stupid—the jury's still out."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later, wide awake on his own bed while Cho snored in his, Jane brought out his phone and texted Lisbon. Lisbon slept with her phone on vibrate beneath her pillow, so when Jane's text arrived ,she jerked, instantly alert-a cop's occupational hazard.

_You awake?_

_Well, I am now._

_Sorry._

_What do you want? And it had better be good._

_You know what I want._

Despite her exhaustion, Lisbon felt her heart flutter.

_This is NOT good behavior, Jane._

_I'm being good. I'm not touching you, am I?_

_No._

_Then you should admire my self-restraint._

_Can you please restrain yourself in a less obnoxious way?_

_You don't mean that._

_I know. I'm sorry. I'm just tired._

A pause, then: _What are you wearing?_

She had to stifle a laugh. Across from her, Fischer stirred, but continued to sleep soundly.

_Don't even think about sexting with me, Patrick Jane._

_Come on, Teresa, you know you want to._

_Good-night, Jane._

_Please don't go. I miss you. And I know you miss me.  
Of course I do. Very much. But we're working. _

_Actually, you were sleeping._

_You are truly the most exasperating man I've ever known._

_Which is why you love me._

_No, I love you in spite of that._

_Liar._

_OK, you win. Now go to sleep._

_I can't. I can't stop thinking about your mouth._

_Jane._

_How it fits perfectly to mine. The sweet taste of your lips. The softness of your tongue._

_Stop._

_That's a good sign, you know._

_Of what? _

_How well we'll fit together in other ways. That and our ice cream preferences._

_What?_

_We both love mint chocolate chip ice cream above all others, right? Studies have shown we are most compatible in bed._

_You're making that up._

_No I'm not. Look it up._

_Have you been drinking?_

_Sober as a judge. _

_I've known some judges…_

_It's also true what they say about someone who's a good dancer is likely good in bed. You are a very good dancer, Teresa._

_Thank you. So are you._

_See there._

_I have no doubt it will be good between us. But it will be much better when we are both well rested and I'm not all tensed up about work._

_I could give you a massage…_

_You're incorrigible._

_Yes. That's my middle name._

_I'm going to sleep now, and I'm going to turn off my phone._

_You don't have to do that. I'll stop texting you, on one condition._

_What?_

_Will you kiss me tomorrow?_

_At a time and place of my own choosing._

_You're so romantic._

_I take it back._

_No, please—I'm kidding. Whatever you want. Whenever you want it. It's just that, now that I've kissed you, I don't think I can get through a day without it._

_You are so manipulative._

_But in a good way._

_I'm rolling my eyes right now._

_I can imagine._

_Good night, Jane._

_Good night, Teresa. I love you._

Lisbon stared at those three little words, feeling the same jolt to her heart she had felt the first time he'd said them in person. She typed her reply, trembling with each letter.

_I love you too._

It was a long time before either of them could sleep.

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

She dreamed of him, vivid, sensual dreams that awakened her in a heated sweat. She stared up at the dark ceiling, panting softly, her longing for him a deep, compelling ache. She'd had such dreams before over the years, but now they seemed so much more real, because she'd actually kissed him, had touched him, had felt his soft hair and the rasp of his whiskers against her cheek. Her subconscious hadn't needed much to extrapolate what it would be like to feel his stubble against her chest, to know the hot wetness of his tongue all over her trembling body. Lisbon shivered as her perspiration cooled.

She looked at her phone. Five a.m. She'd set the alarm for 5:30, and she sighed softly, not wanting to awaken Fischer, but eager to shower and to deliver that kiss she'd promised him.

It would just be a kiss. There was neither time nor place for anything more, so it wasn't like she would be giving in to him completely. What harm could come from a kiss? It would be _before _they went to work for the day, right?

"Oh, Teresa," she said to herself as she stood beneath the needle sharp setting of the shower spray. She imagined him down the hall in his own room, naked in his own shower. "You are in such deep trouble."

Fischer was just waking up when Lisbon was grabbing her key card and heading out the door.

"I've got to get some coffee, and that stuff they leave in the room to make is awful. You want me to bring you some?"

Fischer grinned. "No thanks. Tell Jane I said hi."

Lisbon blushed and shook her head. "Oh, shut up." But she was smiling goofily as she shut the door behind her, Fischer chuckling at her lovesick plight.

As Lisbon suspected, Cho had just left their room, and she watched the stocky agent walk purposefully out of sight in search of the complimentary breakfast buffet. Jane, she knew, would have already found out the closest diner for his mandatory egg breakfast. She hoped she hadn't missed him, but he wasn't exactly an early riser.

She tapped on his door, her pulse racing. He didn't answer right away, and her heart fell into her stomach with disappointment. She knocked once more, and after an agonizing moment, she felt the weight of his gaze through the peephole.

She heard the turning of the bolt, and she was unceremoniously pulled inside by a pair of damp hands. She'd barely had time to register that Jane was only in a towel before the door closed behind them.

"Good morning," he said happily, amused at the way her eyes widened at the sight of his bare torso. A drop of water fell from his hair, and she followed its progress in a small rivulet down his chest. "Have you come to bestow the kiss you promised?"

She forced her eyes upward to meet his. "Uh…"

He grinned. "I thought so."

He gathered her in his arms, his hot mouth falling on hers in a hungry kiss. She stood in shocked stillness for a moment, but when he lessened his forcefulness, she melted into him, her hands skating over his naked back. He held her tightly, and she felt the wetness of his body seeping through her cotton blouse. Her fingers played restlessly in the damp curls at his nape, and her pulse roared in her ears.

Her hands slipped lower, found the edge of his low-slung towel, and suddenly, it was as if someone else was possessing her. She pushed down the towel daringly. Lisbon was vaguely aware of the towel hitting the carpet softly at their feet as her hands cupped his gloriously tight behind. A hoarse sound of surprise sounded in his throat, promptly turning to a growl when she felt his hardness pressed firmly against her stomach.

They didn't hear the knock on the door until it became a pounding louder than their hearts.

"Jane! We're leaving asap!" It was Abbot. "Hurry up!" He pounded again. "Jane?"

Lisbon stumbled away from Jane, her eyes drawn to his nakedness. She flushed scarlet. He directed her to the bathroom with a wicked grin, while he picked the towel up from the floor and wrapped it safely around his hips once more. Lisbon took refuge in the bathroom, her breathing sounding embarrassingly loud in the small enclosure.

She heard Jane opening the door.

"Sorry, Dennis," he said casually, "I was in the shower."

"You must not have heard my phone calls then."

Jane glanced at the message light on the room phone. "Nope. Just got out."

"You seen Lisbon? She's not answering her phone either." His tone was clearly suspicious.

"No, haven't heard from her. Sometimes she forgets to charge the damn thing, or she leaves it lying around somewhere. You know how women are."

Lisbon felt in her pockets for her phone; she must have left it in her room.

_Asshole,_ she thought in annoyance. She hated when he was right.

"You better not let her hear you say that. You'll be knocked on your ass."

He grinned, knowing full well she was listening to every word. There would be hell to pay later for that remark. He was looking forward to it. Abbot, however, was looking past Jane and into his room. Fortunately, the closed bathroom door was out of his line of sight.

"Cho went to breakfast," Jane offered helpfully.

"Yeah, I just saw him there. No time to eat now. I saw him grabbing a few pastries and some coffee to go. Maybe he'll share. Get dressed and meet us down at the cars in ten minutes."

"Yes, sir," Jane said.

Jane shut the door, listening as the big man's heavy footsteps moved further down the hall.

"He's gone," Jane called. "You'd better hurry; Cho should be back any minute."

She came out of the bathroom and sprinted to the door.

"Dammit. That was close," she said breathlessly. She reached for the doorknob, then peeked out into the empty hallway.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," she said. She felt his staying hand on her arm.

"Hey," he said softly. "That was a nice way to say good-morning."

She gave him a soft peck on the lips. "Good morning," she said, and allowed her eyes to rake over him from head to toe. "Very nice." He'd never heard that sensual tone from her before, and it made his stomach—among other things—clench painfully.

He chuckled as she let the door close behind her, happier than he'd been in years, despite yet another interruption.

Lisbon was almost to her door when she met Cho coming back toward the room he shared with Jane, his hands holding a tray laden with donuts, muffins, and two Styrofoam cups. She grabbed a muffin with a grin.

"Thanks."

"Sure," said Cho, and she caught him eyeing her breasts for the first time since she'd known him. He quickly brought his eyes back up to hers, and they both flushed, then hurried back to their respective rooms.

_What the hell?_ she thought, startled by the strange encounter.

As she was unlocking her door, she happened to look down at her blouse. On the center of each breast was a giant wet spot.

"Oh my God," she whispered, mortified. Then she smiled, shaking her head. "Dammit Jane."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I'd love for you to review! More on the way…**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I continue to appreciate all your awesome reviews! I can't believe so many seem to be enjoying this silly little fic. I guess we could all use a bit of humor these days. So, here's some more of that. And if anyone actually cares about the case, there's more of that too, lol.

**Chapter 3**

_I am so going to Hell._

Lisbon was once more sitting with the rest of the team around the Nelson dining table, Cho's tray of pastries in the middle. While she should have been more focused on the replay of the kidnapper's call Wylie was playing, she couldn't get the memory of Jane's firm ass out of her mind.

Hence, her future damnation.

What was worse was that every time she met Jane's eyes across the table, she knew he knew what she was thinking about. He hid naughty smiles with his tea cup, his eyes sparkling knowingly. She found she both loved and hated him in equal measures.

This is exactly what she'd feared would happen, though, if she were honest with herself (which she'd been miserable at lately). She couldn't blame Jane for what had happened in his hotel room that morning. But it was much easier to be mad at him, and he didn't seem to mind. He actually appeared to revel in her sour expression and occasional embarrassed blushes.

Cho, on the other hand, was avoiding looking at her completely.

_Shit._

"…will be released in two days. Be waiting by the phone for instructions." Then, the kidnapper had hung up.

Everyone looked at each other in the silence. Mrs. Nelson, who had already heard the call the first time earlier that morning, was back in bed with a sedative, so the team could talk freely.

"I know who it is," said Jane.

"What? No fun and games first before the big reveal?" asked Fischer wryly.

Jane shrugged. "I had a hunch yesterday, but this confirms it. Tell us what happens tomorrow at NASA, Wylie?"

Wylie thought a moment, and then a light of understanding shone in his eyes. "Nelson was supposed to leave for Russia. Liftoff is the next day."

"Yes. And what do you want to bet they are continuing their mission, despite Nelson's absence?" said Jane.

"They are," confirmed Abbot. "The administrator at Clear Lake mentioned it last night when I called to update him on Nelson."

"Who's in line after Nelson?" Cho asked Wylie.

Wylie was grinning from ear to ear. "Major David Garret," he said.

"Yes," said Jane. "You mentioned yesterday that he was older than Nelson, but he'd never been in space."

"I thought you weren't listening," said Wylie, pleasantly surprised.

"Of course I was listening. I have uncanny hearing. Nothing escapes me."

Lisbon rolled her eyes.

"So you're saying this Garret guy got rid of Nelson so he could take over the mission?" said Abbot.

"That would be my guess," replied Jane.

"Astronauts are put on rotation for these space station missions," Wylie explained. "It was Nelson's turn. Major Garret said yesterday he used to be in mission control, but he decided two years ago to become a full-fledged astronaut. He completed the training and was all set to go up, but Nelson was next in the rotation. It worked out that Garret will turn sixty-five before the next scheduled mission after this one—that's the age limit to go up in space."

"Crappy luck," said Lisbon.

"Crappy enough to make him want to get Nelson out of the picture?" asked Abbot.

"Sounds like a good motive to me," said Jane.

"What proof do we have he took Nelson though?" said Cho. "It all sounds pretty circumstantial."

"You're right, Cho," said Abbot. "We'll bring him in for questioning—"

"I don't think we should spook him," said Jane. "That might make his plans change for the worst for Nelson."

"We should stake Garret out then," suggested Fischer. "Watch his actions. Either he's taking care of Nelson himself, or he has someone watching over him while he's at work."

"Or Nelson is already dead," added Abbot.

"I think Jane's right, sir," said Lisbon. "I think he's still alive. The kidnapper did seem to show compassion toward his captive. The low figure for the ransom money seems to bear that out. I bet he's got someone working for him, like Fischer said. Someone who'll have to be there to let him go long after the shuttle to the space station lifts off."

"All right," said Abbot, forming a plan. "Wylie, did you a hard copy of the security vids from NASA this morning?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, go through it and see if you can trace Garret's movements the past few days. Fischer, since you and I are the only ones who haven't been to NASA on this case, we will secure some ID's from the administrator and go undercover to watch his movements inside."

Fischer looked excited by the prospect. Since Jane and Lisbon came onboard, she'd had more opportunities for undercover work than she ever had before.

"Cho, you, Jane and Lisbon will be outside, in contact with us, waiting to follow in case he leaves the compound."

"Yes, Boss," said Cho and Lisbon together.

"What if it's someone else?" suggested Fischer. "This is all just guesswork on Jane's part—"

Jane raised an eyebrow.

"Well, with no other leads, this is our best—and only—bet," said Abbot.

"Okay. No offense, Jane."

He grinned good-naturedly. "None taken."

While Abbot made the arrangements with NASA, Jane went to the kitchen to make some more tea. He was pleasantly surprised when Lisbon followed him.

"Any more coffee in here?" she asked hopefully, setting her mug on the counter. Jane stepped aside so she could see the coffee pot. It was still half-full.

"Have at it," he said.

Their eyes met, and suddenly both of them knew everything the other said from this moment on would be fraught sexual undertones. She swallowed hard and walked past him to the counter, the scent of his cologne and fresh coffee tantalizing her nostrils. When she refilled her cup, her hands shook slightly.

Jane moved to stand behind her and lifted the hair from her neck, gathering it to one side, his movements gentle and fluid. He lowered his lips to kiss the bare skin he'd exposed where her shoulder met her neck. She gasped and her head involuntarily fell back, allowing him greater access. His lips felt unbearably hot against her skin, and at the touch of his tongue, she grasped the edge of the counter so she wouldn't melt to the floor.

"Stop," she breathed. "Jane…"

Suddenly, his touch disappeared, and she felt bereft of warmth, as if the sun had gone behind a cloud.

"Any more coffee?" Cho asked behind her. Jane must have heard him enter the kitchen, because she sure as hell hadn't.

Lisbon reached blindly for the sugar.

"Uh, sure," she said, and stepped away from the coffee maker. With a fleeting glance toward Jane, she left the two men in the kitchen.

Jane leaned against the center island of the Nelson kitchen, sipping his tea and smiling to himself at the way Lisbon had trembled at his touch.

"You guys need to just do it already," said Cho on his way out, coffee in hand.

No one was better at a hit and run than Kimball Cho, thought Jane with a grin.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_By the terms of our agreement, you owe me a peek and a fondle._

And so began another texting session.

Lisbon and Cho sat in the front of the SUV, Jane in the back, as they waited in front of Major David Garret's home. He had left NASA at five for his last night at home before he left for Russia and Nelson's place on the mission the next morning. The trio had followed him and driven past him once they had reached his house, then Cho had gone around the block before parking across the street from the major's house. From this vantage point, they had a clear view of the front of Garret's house, as well as the astronaut's car parked in the driveway.

They'd been there two hours, and the sun was setting now. After a brief catnap, Jane had awakened, bored. A bored Jane was never a good thing; hence, the text message.

With a smirk at his own temerity, Jane silenced his phone and waited for her reply. Lisbon's message tone startled her at its loudness, and her eyes flew to the rearview mirror to see Jane's eyes, wide in expectation. She muted her own phone in embarrassment while Cho sighed internally, focusing more on reading his book in the fading light.

_WE ARE NOT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW, _was Lisbon's angry reply.

_What else do we have to do, Teresa? Don't you think it is fair that I should get to see and touch all that you got to with me this morning?_

_Yes… Eventually. We are still on the job._

_That didn't seem to stop you, my little hypocrite._

_I'm not a hypocrite. It's not my fault you answered the door in a towel._

_It's your fault I lost said towel, however._

_OK, I will concede that. But if you recall, YOU were the one who kissed me first. I'd just dropped by to see if you wanted to join me for breakfast._

_Liar. You were like a she-cat in heat._

Jane was immensely satisfied to hear her outraged gasp in the front seat.

_Next chance I get, I'm seriously going to punch you in the face._

_Anger and Lust are two sides of the same coin, Lisbon._

_I'm turning off my phone now._

_You can't. Dennis told you to keep your phone handy._

_Well, I'm not going to reply to your texts anymore, so you may as well stop._

_You do know saying stop to me is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. _

_Bull is right._

Jane grinned. Of course she couldn't resist continuing this tantalizing conversation.

_Aw, come on, Teresa. Don't be mad. Your lack of control with me is completely understandable._

_Conceited much?_

_No, just being honest. This is going exactly the way I predicted it would. You can't keep your hands off me._

_You've already gone back on your promise twice now. You kissed me first in your room this morning. And you accosted me in the kitchen earlier. I'd say you're the one with self-control issues._

_It really bothers you, doesn't it?_

_Texting personal stuff with Cho sitting right next to me? Yes, it does._

"Hey, Cho," said Jane aloud. "Does it bug you that Lisbon and I are texting personal stuff with you sitting next to us?"

"No." On the contrary, he was exceedingly grateful they weren't actually _talking_ about personal stuff in front of him.

"See?"

_I hate you, _she resumed texting.

_The same coin, Lisbon, the same coin. And you're avoiding the subject. It bothers you that I seem to have disrupted all this control you've held onto so tightly for years. _

_Yes, it does._

_How do you think I feel? _

Jane saw her shoulders stiffen as she hesitated. In her own fog of sexual frustration and annoyance, she'd forgotten that it must have been a very long time since Jane had been with anyone. Well, anyone she _knew _about anyway. She frowned. Her thumbs hesitated over the keyboard. Did she dare ask him?

_How long has it been for you, Jane?_

It was his turn to pause. It was such a novelty, being this personal with Lisbon. But he wanted to be honest with her as much as he was able, especially about this kind of thing.

_I've only been with one woman since my wife. _

Lorelei. No need to mention she who shall not be named.

_Oh._

_So, you see my situation._

She grinned, then typed: _Yes, I suppose I do._

_And I absolutely don't want you to think I'm using this fact to make you feel sorry for me and decide to sleep with me out of pity._

She smirked_. No, of course not. _

Behind her, Jane smiled, enjoying their banter, marveling at how it was still so easy to tease her, even though the topic of their conversation was decidedly different than it had been in the past.

_And please, by all means, don't make love with me just because whenever you kiss me, I feel like I'm going to die. _

Her heart skipped a beat.

_Well, I don't want to cause you pain. Maybe we should stop kissing altogether._

Two could play at this game, she thought smugly.

Suddenly, the back passenger door of the SUV opened, as did Lisbon's door a moment later. Jane leaned inside the vehicle and kissed the surprise from Lisbon's face.

"I can live with the pain," he whispered near her ear.

He returned to the back seat and silence reigned in the FBI vehicle once more, as if his sudden action had never happend. Lisbon hunkered down in embarrassment, sending a sheepish glance toward the long-suffering Cho.

In the driver's seat, Cho shook his head.

_Sometimes I really miss Rigsby and Van Pelt_, he thought morosely.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At two a.m., Fischer and Abbot showed up to relieve them. They pulled up in the rental car alongside the SUV, and Cho and Abbot rolled down their windows.

"Any movement?" Abbot asked, glancing at the Garret home, dark and quiet in the early morning.

"No. All quiet," said Cho.

"And we've heard nothing from the kidnapper, or Garret, whichever the case may be," added Fischer.

"Garret's obviously got someone watching Nelson," piped up Jane from the backseat, as if this were a new revelation.

"Like I said before," Fischer said under her breath.

Lisbon smiled at her sympathetically.

"You may be right, Jane. Well, we'll meet you back at the hotel when Garret makes it safely to the airport in the morning, or we'll call if he leaves sooner for someplace else. His flight to Russia is scheduled for seven a.m. You guys go and try to get some shuteye."

"Yes, sir," said Cho.

Cho drove tiredly back to the hotel. Without the boss there, Jane didn't even bother hiding the fact that he was following Lisbon to her room.

"If you wake me when you come in, I'll kill you," Cho warned Jane darkly.

Jane grinned. "It will be like I'm not even there."

Cho looked heavenward, then keyed open their door.

Jane went down the hall and tapped lightly on Lisbon's door, which she opened immediately.

"Don't even think about it," she whispered, in consideration of the other hotel guests. By her stubborn expression, Jane could tell this was going to take some finessing.

"Come on, Teresa. Just for a few minutes." He stifled a yawn with his hand. "I'm too tired to rock your world tonight anyway."

Lisbon's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Then you should go back to your room and get some sleep, like I intend to do."

He stepped closer to her. "But you know what an insomniac I am. I'd sleep a lot better with a proper goodnight kiss."

"I thought you didn't want my pity," she said.

"No, but how about a little bit of humanitarian compassion?"

Her lips quirked, and then she went up on her tiptoes, closing her eyes and pressing her lips gently to his. This was the first time she had initiated a kiss, and he stood a moment in the doorway of her hotel room, allowing her to do what she wished, allowing himself to savor it. Her hand rested upon his rough cheek, and he inhaled the sweet scent of her apple blossom shampoo. She touched her tongue to the seam of his lips and he gladly parted them for her. He inhaled just as their kiss deepened, and as her fingers moved from his face into his hair, her nails grazing his scalp, he shivered and released his breath in a hum of appreciation.

She pulled back from him after a moment, a satisfied smile on her face as she beheld his darkened eyes and dreamy expression.

"Good night, Jane," she said, caressing his cheek one last time before she closed the door between them.

"Good night," he finally managed to the door. Then, with a triumphant grin, he slipped her purloined key card into his pocket.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jane gave Lisbon about three hours of sleep, gave himself one. Sure, he'd been disappointed in her ability to resist him, chalking it up to her very real exhaustion. And, to tell the truth, a little sleep probably wouldn't hurt him, given that he was a bit out of practice, and therefore had no idea what to expect from his own performance. He was counting on sheer passion and eagerness to carry him through, not to mention the constant state of arousal he'd been in since their interlude on the plane. He would have plenty of time to work on technique later.

And so it was that Jane let himself out of his room and went down to Lisbon's at around five-fifteen. She still owed him after the towel incident the day before, and he fully intended to collect. All it would take was for him to slip into bed with her and give her a wakeup call neither of them would soon forget. His pulse raced just thinking about it.

He passed the card through the reader and the green light on the door made him smile. Green meant go, right?

Inside the dim room, he was somewhat disappointed to find that Lisbon was not snuggled in her warm bed as he'd imagined. The bedside lamp was on and the bathroom door was closed, though a crack was left in the doorway, probably to allow steam to escape. Jane grinned wickedly. This might be an even sexier scenario, he thought. A sensual rendezvous in the shower.

He removed his shoes and socks, then the rest of his clothing, setting them quietly at the foot of Fischer's still made bed.

He padded naked to the bathroom, noting how steam had already begun billowing out into the bedroom.

_So, she likes it hot_.

He imagined her naked now, her lithe body slick from the water and the lather of the apple shampoo he could already smell.

He opened the door wide enough to slip inside. The heavy shower curtain concealed her form, but it rippled at her movements and the strong spray of the water. His hand reached for the curtain to draw it back and give her the surprise of her life.

Behind him, he heard the hotel room door open.

"I'm back! And I brought Starbuck's!"

It was Lisbon's voice.

"Okay," called Fischer from the shower. It was then that she stuck her head from behind the curtain and beheld Patrick Jane, in all his naked glory.

Talk about your pickles.

**A/N: Okay, this is turning a bit into a French farce, but I love those, don't you? Thanks for reading. And please, leave a review if you've got the time. I love those too!**

**P.S. If you aren't following me already, you can also find me on Twitter. I love to engage in discussions about the show, as well as leave updates on current and future stories of mine. I'm Donnamour1969 there, too!**


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Your reviews have been so humbling and amazing! I can't thank you enough. And for those going back and reading my older work, thank you for that too. I think "The Mentalist" truly is the best fandom out there!

**Chapter 4**

There are moments in a man's life that define him, both for all the world to see, and for the man himself. Patrick Jane had certainly had more than his fair share of defining moments, but he silently begged the universe that standing naked between Fischer and Lisbon in a hotel bathroom was not going to be one of them.

Kim Fischer was a trained FBI agent, a veteran of nearly fifteen years, and thus had seen many vile, loathsome scenes displaying the seamy underbelly of society, evidence of how very low mankind could fall. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of Patrick Jane, however, naked as the day he was born, standing on the other side of the hotel shower curtain.

Teresa Lisbon juggled the cardboard tray in which nestled two covered lattes while she attempted to open her hotel room with one hand. She was already annoyed because her key card had not been in her blazer jacket pocket where she'd sworn she'd put it the night before, so she'd had to stop off at the front desk to get a new one (since she knew Fischer had planned to take a shower), all the while imagining the heat seep slowly out of her coffee cup (Lisbon lived in abject dread of cold coffee.) And so, as she swiped her new key card, she was already a bit anxious that it wouldn't still be piping hot for that all-important first sip of the day.

She entered the room, called out to Fischer, registered her acknowledgement, and set down the coffee on top of the built-in dresser. She was surprised to see that the bathroom door was wide open, given Fischer's normal penchant for modesty, so she moved further into the room to do her a favor and shut the door. The familiar suit coat lying neatly at the end of Fischer's bed gave her pause, and she looked into the bathroom with a dawning, horrifying realization.

There in the steamy mist was Patrick Jane's gorgeous, bare ass (which she had barely had the chance to explore), and the rest of him, of course. _All_ the rest of him.

_Oh. My. God._

Fischer's face appeared from behind the shower curtain, her eyes widening in startle at her unexpected visitor, before the light of utter and complete amusement filled her eyes. She looked him up and down in blatant appreciation, her full lips forming a wicked smile.

"Well, hello there, sailor."

"Jane?"

Jane gave Fischer an oddly pleading look before turning resignedly around to face Lisbon. He grabbed a towel in what felt like slow motion, almost idly wrapping it around his waist. It felt a little like he was closing the barn door after the horses had gotten out.

"What the hell, Jane?" Lisbon managed, torn between lust and mortification.

"Hi, Lisbon," he said, smiling sheepishly. Then, a half-hearted: "Surprise."

Fischer was struggling valiantly not to laugh.

"I'll, uh, leave you two alone," she said, and closed the curtain.

Jane took the walk of shame out of the bathroom, closing the door with a soft click behind him. They could hear Fischer finally lose it, her guffaws echoing in the small enclosure.

Lisbon stood watching him, hands on her hips, as he silently rifled through the pile of his clothes for his boxer briefs. He dropped the towel and pulled on his underwear. What the hell did it matter now? Half the team had already seen him naked.

"Jesus, Jane," said Lisbon, instinctively covering her eyes. "I can't believe you."

"No? Well, it wasn't exactly my finest moment…" he said lamely.

"I assume you thought it was me in that shower," she said, for some reason needing to be sure.

He stopped and stared at her in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Well, forgive _me_, but that isn't the kind of mistake the all-seeing, all-knowing Patrick Jane would typically make." She held up Fischer's bra by its strap, which had been hanging over the desk chair. It was obviously not Lisbon's size. "You're slipping."

He picked up his trousers. "I'm not slipping, exactly. My current state of…_frustration_ has begun to siphon off my brain cells, is all. I'm not thinking well with my big head these days."

"You can't possibly blame your idiocy on my not having sex with you. That's absurd man logic."

He sighed, spying his shirt next. He put it on and began buttoning.

"Well, Lisbon, I'm feeling a little absurd at the moment, so it makes perfect sense to me."

She shook her head at him, at the same time a little sad to see his nicely formed chest covered up again by his silly island shirt.

Now dressed, he surprised her by his sudden return to the bathroom.

"My apologies, Kim," he called through the heavy door.

He heard her chuckle. "Think nothing of it. An honest mistake."

"Yeah," he said wryly. "That it was."

"Oh, and Jane—nice, uh…thighs."

"Gee, thanks."

But she probably didn't hear him over her renewed giggles.

He walked past Lisbon toward the door to the hallway. He was uncharacteristically angry, she thought, when actually Fischer had the right attitude about the whole mess. Lisbon allowed herself to really see the humor in the situation.

She caught Jane's arm before he could leave in a huff.

"Hey," she said softly. "Don't be embarrassed. I'm actually very flattered that you went to all this trouble for me. For what it's worth, it would have been a very _welcome_ surprise," she said meaningfully, smoothing down his wrinkled lapels with both hands. She held his gaze, and he saw the humor sparkling there, saw the emergence of her telltale dimples.

Jane's tense face relaxed into a smile. "Oh, really?" He stepped closer to her, his hands reaching up to take hers, drawing them both to his lips as he continued to look into her soft green eyes.

"Yes. Definitely. And you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about," she said, her eyes sweeping up and down his body. He felt warm everywhere her gaze touched.

"Hmm," he said, putting her hands on his shoulders. Her fingers found the curls near his ears as she stepped into his arms.

"Look on the bright side, Jane. Had you actually gotten into the shower with Fischer, you might not have made it out of there alive. She would have unmanned you with her bare hands, and then where would we be?"

Jane cringed, and then chuckled. "You're probably right. I should feel very, very lucky right now."

"Yes," she whispered. "You should."

He kissed her gently, trying to exert some self-control since they were both painfully aware of Fischer's presence in the next room. All too soon, he lifted his head, but then his finger traced her collarbone, settling in the sweet indention at the base of her throat.

"You still owe me," he told her, and he watched his own finger move lower to rest on the gentle slope of one breast, covered by her black, scoop-necked t-shirt. "Though now it's risen to _two_ sneak peeks."

She knew he could feel her trembling at his touch, could sense the pounding of her heart. She swallowed, her eyes ensnared by his.

"I've bared my uh—" he grinned in self-deprecation—"_soul _to you twice now. I'm going a little crazy imagining what you look like beneath those form-fitting tops, and those tight, sexy jeans." His hands settled on the curves of her hips, and he leaned down to kiss her once more. "And oh, how I want you, Teresa," he said, a breath away from her lips.

He was suddenly hungry with passion, and all his self-restraint flew out the window. Lisbon was the one to hear the shower turn off in the bathroom, and she turned her head, reluctantly trying to escape the temptation of his sensual mouth.

"You have to go," she told him.

He groaned a little, realizing she was right. With an inner strength he'd forgotten he had, he stepped away from her. He didn't bother putting on his shoes and socks, but moved back to the foot of the bed and picked them up from the floor.

She opened the door for him, and as he moved past her, she held out her hand.

"My key please?"

His face fell, and he reached into his jacket pocket.

"Just removing all further temptations," she said, as he placed it in her palm.

His eyes flicked over her face, settling on her smirking lips. "Oh, I'm still tempted."

He kissed her lightly one last time and left to stroll cheerlessly back to his room.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Cho looked up from the TV news when Jane keyed open the door. When he saw the consultant's shoes and socks in hand, he felt a surge of relief. He and Lisbon must have finally consummated their relationship.

But then Cho saw his face. He recognized that face. Every man had that same expression when he'd struck out. The torture would continue—and by that, Cho meant his own.

_Crap._

Jane caught sight of the news broadcast, which was showing the Russian astronauts preparing for their journey to the International Space Station the next day. There was also video of Major Garret boarding the plane in Houston, waving to the crowd that had gathered to wish him well, little American flags held high.

"He made it," said Jane.

This was why Abbot and Fischer had come back so soon. Garret's flight had been early.

"Yeah."

"I take it Garret didn't take any odd excursions last night?"

"Nope," replied Cho. "And no calls, no sign of Nelson either."

"You wait," said Jane. "He'll turn up." He went to the room's coffee pot and filled it with water to boil for tea.

"Abbot wants us all back at Nelson's in an hour. I'm going to eat."

Jane waved him off.

He didn't have much of an appetite.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fischer joined Cho in the breakfast room of the hotel. She set down her Starbuck's cup and a bowl of oatmeal next to Cho's limp bacon and rubbery eggs .

"We've got to do something," she said without preamble.

"Yeah, breakfast is really bad here."

"About Jane and Lisbon," she clarified.

"No, we don't," said Cho. He took a bite of eggs and frowned, setting his fork down and picking up a greasy strip of bacon.

"Well, after what I just went through—the two of them are practically crying for help."

"None of our business."

She leaned closer over the table. "Jane just snuck into my bathroom and nearly jumped me in the shower. He thought I was Lisbon. This definitely makes it my business now."

Cho's lips quirked.

"Oh, it gets worse." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "He was _naked_."

Cho's face contorted to a full-on, dimple-showing grin.

_No wonder Jane had seemed so bummed_, he thought. _Right place, wrong girl_. For the first time, Cho actually felt a little sorry for the man.

"What do you suggest? We lock them in a room together until they do the deed?" _We're not breeding livestock_, he finished to himself.

Fischer nodded, taking him seriously. "Lisbon told me she wasn't going to sleep with him on the job. So we have to be very subtle about it."

"I was kidding."

"Look, we need their minds on this case, not all hopped up on raging hormones. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Haven't you ever been so smitten with a woman that you couldn't focus? Did it affect your work?"

Summer Edgecomb came immediately to mind. What a catastrophe that had been.

"Yeah," he admitted, much to Fischer's surprise.

"Well, then you know that if we don't do something to uh, help things along, we will have to work in the middle of all this unfulfilled sexual tension."

_Been there, done that_, Cho thought with an internal shudder, recalling also the Rigsby/Van Pelt years. Fischer's concerns so exactly reflected his own that Cho found himself going along with her, though with some trepidations.

"This could backfire you know," he said. "Make things worse."

He didn't want to think about discovering Jane and Lisbon having quickies in public restrooms or in the backseats of company SUV's. He'd like to think Lisbon, at least, would be a bit more professional. It was Jane's powers of persuasion that worried him.

"How could it be worse?" she said in exasperation. "Look, I'd like to know that I can shower in peace, that I don't have to worry they're playing footsies under the table or necking during a stakeout. It's distracting."

"True."

"Besides, given what I've seen lately, I bet it would only take, say, ten minutes, and then we could all get back to business."

_Ten minutes?_ Despite Cho's own personal annoyance with the situation, he felt the need to come to Jane's defense—after all, there was still the Guy Code to think of.

"Let's give them at least thirty," he said dryly.

Fischer grinned, pushing her cooling oatmeal around in the plastic bowl.

"Okay, thirty. So you're in, right? And keeping this whole mess from Abbot is key, of course."

"Yeah."

"So what do we do first?" she asked.

Cho slid his half-eaten breakfast away, pushed his chair back from the table. "First, _I'm_ getting a muffin," he said.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mrs. Nelson was still confined to her bed and the FBI team sat around the Nelson table once more, playing the waiting game.

"I guarantee you, when Garret is safely in outer space, Nelson will be released, unharmed," said Jane, looking at everyone but Fischer. She noticed of course, and smiled to herself in amusement.

Finally, she had something over on Patrick Jane.

"In the meantime, we need to figure out who's taking care of Nelson now. I hope you haven't read this all wrong, Jane," said Abbot. "The press may start questioning NASA's line that Nelson was simply indisposed, and once they start sniffing around, this whole thing could go south very quickly."

"The kidnapper is not going to hurt Nelson," reiterated Jane.

"I hope you're right," said Fischer. "Hey, Boss, maybe we should talk to Garett's wife again."

Cho glanced at Fischer. "Maybe _Jane _should have at her," he said to Abbot. "I got nothing, but I think she's hiding something."

"Why didn't you mention this before, Cho? Well, you take Jane and Fischer—"

"Fischer and I wanted to follow up on something at NASA. I've got a hunch…"

Abbot narrowed his eyes. Something was up, but for the life of him, he couldn't read Cho's usual deadpan expression. "Uh, okay…you and Fischer head out. I'll go with Jane and Lisbon-"

The Nelson house phone rang. Everyone stilled, expecting another call from the kidnapper.

"Boss," interrupted Wylie, covering the mouthpiece with his hand. "Sorry, sir, but Senator Nash is on the phone. He wants to know the real reason Texas' native son isn't going up to the Space Station tomorrow."

Abbot sighed. "Dammit. That's all I need." He gestured with one hand to Lisbon. "Go with Jane."

"Yes, sir," replied Lisbon. She rose along with Jane, who was trying without much success to keep from grinning from ear to ear.

Cho nodded slightly to Fischer, who caught Wylie's eye and smiled slightly. Operation _Parent Trap_ was on.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So," said Jane conversationally from the passenger's seat. "Alone at last."

"Yeah, and no funny business."

"You mean I can't make any jokes? That should take all the fun out of the relationship."

She looked at him sidelong. "You know what I mean. Just because we're alone—"

He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, I get you. After this morning, I hereby renew my promise to behave."

Lisbon grinned smugly. "I hate to say I told you so."

"You told me what? That I would expose myself to two women in one day? I would have remembered that advice and kept my pants on."

She laughed. "I'm sure you will now. I told you hanky panky on the job was a bad idea."

"Actually, it had been a brilliant _idea_—the execution of it, however…I must be insanely out of practice."

Lisbon reached over and patted his arm consolingly. "Not at all. When this case is solved, you can make it up to me. Maybe even re-create your brilliant shower idea."

He grabbed her hand, bringing her palm to his lips. "Yes, I will." The temperature in the SUV rose by a good twenty degrees.

Her mouth went dry and she snatched her hand away. "Stop that. Haven't you learned your lesson?"

"My pants are still on, aren't they?"

Of their own accord, Lisbon's eyes slid to the front of his slacks, and she remembered vividly how he'd looked and felt beneath them. Jane felt himself begin to harden at her lustful gaze.

"You're not helping matters, Teresa."

She flushed and tore her eyes away, focusing resolutely on the road.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"We got nothing from Mrs. Garret," reported Lisbon, back at the Nelson home in a reasonable, professional amount of time. Cho and Fischer had returned too, bringing with them a lunch of Chinese takeout for everyone. They all took a seat around the table and dug in.

"Yeah," agreed Jane, scrutinizing Cho. "She's hiding nothing, far as I can see. Just very proud of her husband."

"Huh," said Cho. Nothing seemed to have changed between them. In fact, things appeared just as strained as before.

"How'd your hunch pan out Cho?" asked Abbot, opening a third cardboard carton before he found the Chow Mein.

"Dead end," said Cho.

They ate in unaccustomed silence, and tension of one kind or another rested heavily in the air.

Abbot looked at the guileless faces of his team. He knew what was up between Jane and Lisbon. That was blatantly obvious from their not-so-secret glances and _accidental_ touches. He hoped they'd been behaving professionally, but out of his sight, he sort of doubted it. Now Cho and Fischer-they were definitely keeping something from him. Cho was an unknown quantity, given his past association with Jane and his general lack of apparent emotion, but Fischer—she was a straight arrow. He hated to think she'd been corrupted. He gave no thought to Wylie, who probably would have been crestfallen to know Abbot had absolutely no worries about him. Whatever was going on, he couldn't decide whether he wanted to know or not.

Fischer and Lisbon got up to take their paper plates to the kitchen, and Fischer chose to live up to her name and find out the inside information.

"So, you and Jane enjoy your alone time?"

Lisbon closed the trash can lid. She sighed. "Nothing happened. He's totally laid off, well, so to speak."

Fischer smiled. "Anything to do with the little bathroom incident?"

"_Everything_ to do with it. Nothing puts a man in his place better than naked humility."

"You sound disappointed."

"I am, I guess, but that's what I claimed I wanted, right?" She smiled wryly, then lowered her voice. "But I'm embarrassed to say that I feel like this whole thing with Jane is putting us both off our game. Normally, Jane would have sussed out all of Mrs. Garett's secrets in no time, but he didn't seem to be putting his heart into it at all. He was obviously too preoccupied. I feel a little responsible for that."

"You're not. It's totally understandable, your wanting to keep things professional on the job. Jane just needs to man up."

Lisbon nodded. It felt good to talk to a woman about these things. For years she had gone it alone, without any close women friends to confide in about anything personal. She spoke to Grace long distance now more than they ever had in person, and Grace was happy to listen and offer her advice, but Kim Fischer had turned into a pleasant surprise.

They were closer in age than she and Grace, and they had enjoyed a drink after work now and then, commiserating on the lonely lives of women in the FBI. But then Lisbon had started going out with Marcus, and Lisbon had closed herself off a little, at least regarding her internal conflict between Marcus and Jane. Now that she and Jane had found each other, Lisbon was back to sharing with Fischer. Lisbon was happy to see that Fischer seemed to understand what she was going through, even though Lisbon sometimes didn't understand it, herself.

"Well, I need to man up a bit myself," said Lisbon. "Focus on this case and not on my love life, such as it is."

"Probably a good idea for all of us," said Fischer.

"What's a good idea?" asked Jane, bringing in his own empty plate.

"Solving this case so we can all go home," said Fischer. "And returning Major Nelson to his family, of course."

"Of course," Jane said skeptically, depositing his paper plate in the trash. Lisbon avoided his eyes, a sure sign she was feeling guilty about something.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fischer left them in the kitchen together, and went back to the dining room. She sat down by Cho.

"Plan B," she whispered to him. "Definitely Plan B."

**A/N: I'm thinking one, maybe two more chapters, and this tease will be over, lol. Thanks for reading. And more reviews would be like heaven! **


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I have such wonderful readers! Thank you so much for the inspiring reviews. I hope this chapter is a satisfying uh, climax for this story. It's rated M toward the end, by the way ;).

**Chapter 5**

Since the kidnapper had said there would be no contact for another day, the team was confined to the Nelson estate with no new leads, and nothing left they could think of to do to find the Major. Being on a case usually entailed a lot of waiting around, which was the only downside of their work (in everyone's opinions but Jane's), so they settled without complaint into their long vigil.

Jane spent most of the afternoon asleep on the expensive leather couch in the darkly paneled library, while Abbot handed out a few cold case files for the rest of them to peruse. Mrs. Nelson remained confined to her room, with her mother only coming down to bringing up a tray of soup to coax her daughter into eating something, so the house was eerily quiet.

Near six o'clock that evening, Fischer nodded to Wylie. He was first up on his part of Plan B. It took all his powers of self-control not to laugh out loud in excitement for his inclusion in the plan, despite Cho's caution that Jane would know immediately something was up if Wylie didn't act cool.

"Sir," ventured Fischer, "I was thinking that Wylie has pulled a couple of all-nighters lately. Maybe he could go back to the hotel and use one of our rooms to get some rest. We could hold things down here for awhile, don't you think?"

Abbot looked up from his file at the young analyst. He shrugged. "Sure. Nice of you to think of it, Fischer."

Cho reached into his pocket and handed Wylie a hotel key card. "Here," he offered. "Use mine."

"Cool. Thanks, guys," said Wylie, retrieving the card.

Jane chose that inopportune moment to pass through the dining room on his way to the kitchen for tea.

"Leaving, Jason?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

At their seats around the table, Cho and Fischer tensed, thankful their backs were to Jane.

"Just for awhile. Cho said I could use your hotel room to take a nap. Hope you don't mind."

Jane's eyes went to his coworkers' stiff backs. "Uh, sure. Just don't drool on my pillow, okay?"

Wylie laughed, and it actually sounded genuine, natural even. "You don't have to worry about that, Mr. Jane."

Wylie left, forcing his feet to move at a casual pace toward the foyer.

The moment the front door closed, Fischer and Cho relaxed, and Jane met Lisbon's eyes where she sat on the other side of the table. He raised an eyebrow, askance. Lisbon shrugged. She had no idea what that was all about. Jane continued on his way, in search of tea.

He returned to the dining room and sat by Lisbon, setting down two steaming cups—one of tea, one of coffee.

"Thanks," she said gratefully, smiling at him. He returned her smile, his eyes heartfelt.

Across the table, Cho rolled his eyes. Wylie had better do his part, but good. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

At ten o'clock, Wylie returned, and Abbot dismissed the rest of the team to try to get some shuteye of their own. If the kidnappers called the next morning, they would hopefully be able to formulate a plan to catch them during the handover. They needed their rest in order to be sharp, Abbot told them.

Everyone rose from the table but Wylie, who, after having logged back on to his computer, looked with concern at Abbot.

"Agent Abbot," Wylie said respectfully, his voice sounding mildly panicked. "Would you mind looking at this for a few minutes? I think I'm going to need your help…"

Abbot waved the others off. "Go ahead. Take the SUV. I'll use the rental in a bit."

They said their goodbyes and left, Fischer managing to send a grateful wink Wylie's way, who responded with an equally grateful blush.

"Wylie's acting strangely today," commented Jane from the back seat. He reached for Lisbon's hand under cover of darkness, and to his surprise, she allowed it.

"He's always strange," said Fischer from the front, "in an adorable, nerdy sort of way."

Next to Jane, Lisbon grinned.

"It's more than that though," said Jane. "He seems to be on the giddy side. Cho?"

"Who knows? He's Wylie."

Jane's eyes narrowed, and his natural curiosity had him turning over the possibilities. _New girlfriend? No. Something more…surreptitious, secretive. It merits some more thought._

"Oh, leave him alone," chided Lisbon, knowing how his mind worked.

"Your defense of him is interesting, Lisbon. You know something that we don't?"

He recalled her guilty expression when leaving the kitchen earlier.

She rested more heavily against her seat's headrest, sighing tiredly. "Nope. You really must be bored to be giving Wylie a second thought."

"You're right. I'd much rather be home…in bed…thinking of other things," he said meaningfully, squeezing her hand.

Fischer and Cho glanced at each other in the glow of the dashboard lights, grateful none of Jane's suspicions had fallen on them. One more hurdle and Plan B would be a go.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This would be the tricky part, thought Fischer. If these two were bound and determined to behave, the sexual tension would only heighten, continuing to make everyone more and more uncomfortable. But she hoped that if Jane and Lisbon were given just a little bit of a push, perhaps they could all find some relief, in one way or another. It would all come down to whether or not they would accept that push…

Halfway to the door of the hotel, Fischer stopped. "Damn," she said. "Cho, could you give me a ride back to the Nelson's? I forgot my purse, and of course, now I don't have my driver's license with me."

"Seriously?" said Cho, feigning annoyance.

"I'm sorry."

"I could drive you," offered Lisbon.

"Naw, that's okay. I know you must be tired, Teresa. You two go on. I'm sure Cho doesn't mind. We'll be back soon."

"Why don't you call Abbot to bring it back with him?" suggested Jane, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I-uh, don't want to bother him. And I sort of need it _right now_," she said, lowering her voice and shooting Lisbon a look of female conspiracy. Making it sound like it was for some mysterious, feminine reason was a sure way to get man to back off with the questioning. It worked every time, even, it appeared, with Patrick Jane.

"Well, okay then," said Lisbon. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure. Come on, Cho."

Cho gave a consenting grunt for show, and Lisbon and Jane went on into the hotel.

"That was close," said Fischer as they got back in the SUV. "Shall we drive around the block?"

"Yeah," said Cho. "That should give them time to get things rolling."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, that was odd," said Jane, walking with Lisbon down the hallway to their rooms. Not that he was really complaining. He'd at least get a goodnight kiss, and she was still letting him hold her hand. His blood stirred at the thought of a few uninterrupted moments.

They stopped in front of her door, and Lisbon opened it with her card. Immediately, the scents of roses and vanilla assailed them, and the room fairly glowed with warm light.

"What the hell…?" said Lisbon, forgetting for a moment that Jane was right behind her. She walked further into the room, which had been transformed from the plain, unremarkable chain hotel room to what could only be described as a love nest.

The vanilla fragrance had come from the countless, flickering candles covering nearly every surface of the room—that is, in places where the bouquets of red roses had not overtaken them. Even the bed was festooned with scattered rose petals, the blankets drawn back to reveal sheets that were not the serviceable cotton she'd left this morning. They were deep red…_satin_? Champagne was chilling in the plastic hotel ice bucket, two glass flutes and a bowl of fresh strawberries beside it on the desk. Smooth jazz emanated from the clock radio, and Jane's duffle bag was on the folding luggage rack, replacing Fischer's small suitcase.

As Lisbon stared in shock and awe at the transformed surroundings, beside her, Jane was chuckling quietly.

"You think someone's trying to tell us something?" he asked.

Lisbon draped her purse and jacket over the desk chair and turned back to Jane.

"I can't believe this."

"Me neither," said Jane, moving to the bed and running his hands over the garish sheets. "I didn't think young Wylie had it in him." He looked back at her with a wry grin.

She blanched. This certainly explained Wylie's extended absence that evening. And, now she thought of it, she realized Cho and Fischer—_the traitor!_—had likely been instrumental in arranging this entire set up. That key Cho had given Wylie earlier must have been to _her_ room. She flushed with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"_Two_ keys," said Jane, reading her mind. He nodded to his duffle that had been removed from his and Cho's room. "And there's a note," Jane said, noticing the slip of hotel stationary with Lisbon's name on it, folded in half and propped against the lamp on the nightstand. He opened it and read aloud:

_Teresa,_

_Don't be mad. And stop wasting time—you both deserve this._

_Kim_

She took it from his hands and read it through again, then looked up at Jane, who was staring at her with eyes heavy with anticipation. It was up to her, of course. His only desire since Pike had come on the scene was that she do what made her happy. Well, not his _only_ desire…

"What do you want to do?" He asked gently.

She didn't hesitate in her reply. "You know very well what I _want_ to do. But this—this is just so—I don't know—"

"Awkward? Unprofessional? _Tawdry_?" he supplied.

"Well, yes. Aren't you the least bit embarrassed knowing that our coworkers arranged for us to have sex in this room? That if we stay here much longer, they will know precisely what we are doing?"

"Well, not precisely," he murmured, stepping closer. "They won't know all the lascivious things I've planned to do to you in my mind, all the fantasies I've had over the years that I fully intend to make reality, once you're truly mine."

"Jane—" she breathed, as his hands came up to settle on her slim shoulders. His own breath was soft against her cheeks, smelling pleasantly of herbal tea and peppermint.

"We've been given a very romantic gift by three of our most loyal friends," he said. "This is their way of showing their support of our relationship. Obviously, Wylie worked very hard to make this place more…inviting. Do we really want to disappoint them?"

He was staring almost imploringly into her eyes, and her heart picked up speed at the thought of lying naked with him, even on those atrocious sheets.

"And if it makes you feel better, I don't think Abbot has any idea what they've done—or what we might soon be doing," he concluded, bending to kiss her soft lips. The decision might be all in her hands, but a little persuasion couldn't hurt.

She lifted one hand to touch his roughly stubbled cheek.

"Is this what you want, Jane? I mean—_where_ you want our first time to be? In a cheap hotel off the interstate?"

His hands went to her waist, nearly spanning it with his long, artful fingers.

"Well, I _had_ imagined us on a blanket beneath the stars, not so much beneath a blanket of polyester, but the _where_ doesn't matter so much, does it? It's the _who_," he said, bending to nuzzle her neck. "And the _when_," he said, bringing his hips closer to hers so she could feel how much he wanted her, right at that moment. "And the _why_," he added softly in her ear. She shivered, and held fast to his shoulders.

He lifted his head to look at her, his eyes solemn. She could see the reflection of candlelight in his dark pupils.

"I love you, Teresa. If you want to wait, I'll wait. But if you don't, I'm sure our first time will be amazing, even if I never get the scent of vanilla out of my hair."

He smiled a little, and she smiled too. Tempting. So unbelievably tempting.

What was she waiting for? They obviously had the support of their colleagues—well, all save an unknowing Abbot. She needn't feel ashamed. She loved Jane, and he loved her, and who the hell cared if the people she worked with knew they were having sex? Abbot had even encouraged Jane to make a move because he wanted to keep Jane happy and solving cases. She would make Jane happy, all right. She gave a little smirk that Jane felt in his groin.

"Okay," she said.

"Okay?" he clarified, his hands moving up beneath her t-shirt. Her skin felt like warm silk.

"Yes."

The past two days of heated sexual tension had left him so frustrated that any thought of hesitancy on his part had long vacated his wounded psyche. His desire had turn to a white hot need, and she could feel it in his every touch. His hands and mouth were frantic on her body, as if he couldn't focus on one part of her for long. First, he cupped her breasts within her shirt, releasing the front clasp while he made love to her mouth. Her breasts fit perfectly in his hands, and he moaned a little at the sensation. She echoed the hoarse sound when his thumbs brushed across her nipples.

She raised her arms and he pulled her t-shirt off, quickly dispensing with her bra. Next, he unsnapped her jeans and slipped his hands inside the back of her panties, cupping her bottom while drawing her closer to the fullness within his trousers. He kissed her passionately, before he moved lower, and she felt the roughness of his cheek against her chest. When his lips found her breast, tugging gently, her hands slipped into his curls, holding him against her while she reveled in the beauty, in the surreality of the moment.

She felt the bed behind her thighs and Jane gently pushed her. She landed on the bed with a gasp amidst a hail of loose rose petals. He grinned and she watched in awe as he began removing his suit coat, while toeing off his shoes, his movements quick and efficient. His shirt came next, and in his hurry, he only unbuttoned it halfway before pulling it over his head and tossing it carelessly on the floor.

She'd seen him a few times without his shirt, but it was mostly when his life had been in danger. She was surprised now at how much more toned and lightly tan he was. The years on the island had changed him in all kinds of pleasing ways. She longed to touch him now, but she sat still, propped on her elbows, admiring the view. He caught her watching him, and his movements became a little less certain. He was nervous, she realized, and it made her grin to see Jane in such a state.

"You enjoy stripteases, do you?" he asked, his voice breaking a bit. Her smile grew wider.

"I'm beginning to," she said. Her lustful tone made his stomach clench. She lifted a chin toward his pants. "Please…don't stop."

His hands went to his waistband, and her heart fluttered.

Patrick Jane had always been a showman, and now that he realized he had a captivated audience, he slowed down, slipping easily into performance mode. His zipper became an instrument of mystery, each tine revealing another precious millimeter of heather gray cotton. It was a bit difficult to move the zipper over his erection, and the touch of his own hands there while Lisbon watched was about his undoing. But he took a deep breath to calm himself and finished the job, enjoying now how Lisbon's eyes widened at the fullness in his boxer briefs. He took a deep breath and stripped the rest of the way. She seemed pleased, if her flushed face was any indication, and some of Jane's old confidence returned. He'd never, _ever _disappointed a woman in bed, and he wasn't about to start with Lisbon.

He stood before her in only the silly handmade woolen socks, allowing her to take in his pleasantly muscled biceps, his nicely shaped thighs, his trim stomach, and the impressive length of his erection. He met her eyes, and the desire he saw there had him dropping any pretense of coolness. Anxious to have her, Jane dropped to his knees before her to remove her shoes. He looked up at her and smiled shakily, but then his eyes fell on her bare torso, and his hands tugged at the bottom hems of her jeans, pulling them down to reveal her amazing legs. With her nod of encouragement, he found the waistband of her champagne colored panties.

"You're so beautiful." He was looking solemnly at her, while she rested before him, naked and vulnerable, and completely trusting of him. Before she could express a similar compliment about him, he had joined her on the bed, his warm body covering hers. He fastened his mouth to her lips, and his passion took over once more.

She lay on the slippery sheets while he ardently suckled her breasts, at the same time his hands glided in appreciation over the smooth, hairless skin surrounding her core. He readied her further with talented fingers, making her thighs tremble, her soft cries more musical to him than the jazz on the radio.

She let him set the pace, wanting this to last as long as he could hold out. She resisted the urge to touch him intimately, her hands closing into fists at her side while he had his way with her willing body. Jane noticed her passivity at once and paused to look at her face, chest heaving, green eyes dark with desire.

"Don't hold back, Teresa," he rasped. "I'm not going to break."

"I know, but—"

He interrupted her with a finger on her lips, his eyes boring into hers.

"This may not take as long as I'd like the first time, but I want you here with me—_all_ of you."

"Okay," she whispered, and her hands moved to caress his lean back.

She bent her knees, cradling his hardness against her softness. When he kissed her, his groan vibrated against her lips. By then, Jane's heart was pounding so loudly in his ears that he felt lightheaded with it, the cloying scents of roses, vanilla, and apple shampoo working together to overwhelm his senses further. When he stretched completely along her body, skin against skin, he felt so completely aroused he thought he might die of it.

He hovered at the heated wetness of her entrance for a tenuous moment, closing his eyes tightly, willing himself to slow down, to take her gently instead of plowing into her like an animal. But Lisbon wasn't going to let him hold back either. Before he could find the will to exert some belated control, she'd lifted her hips and he'd slipped easily inside of her.

He'd never felt anything so incredible, Jane thought vaguely, before his mind went completely blank and he was left only with indescribable pleasure. Neither of them was holding back now, their bodies rising and falling as one, creating erotic shadows on the candlelit walls. As he'd feared, he couldn't bear the intensity of their joining for long before he shuddered to a climax, his entire body convulsing with ecstasy and release. She held him tightly as he rode it out, his breath loud in her ear, their bodies slick with perspiration.

"I love you, Teresa…so much."

She smiled, still in awe of the emotions she'd beheld on his face as he'd made love to her.

"I love you too." Her hands played in the damp hair at his nape.

She could actually feel his heart pounding against her chest, echoing hers in precise rhythm. After another moment, he pulled out of her body and rolled to his back, cringing a little as he felt the unforgiving slickness of the satin sheets beneath his sweaty back. After thanking Wylie profusely for everything else, he would seek to educate him upon the sensuality of Egyptian cotton.

He looked over at Lisbon, his smile gentle and filled with love.

"You're amazing," he told her. "The reality far outweighing any fantasy I've ever had."

She turned on her side, resting her head on her hand as she stared at his cooling body, reaching out her other hand to trace the length of his breastbone.

"Tell me about these fantasies," she said shyly, looking up at him from beneath coy lashes.

"At first I tried very hard to suppress them, but over the years I've created an entire catalog of scenarios in my mind—different places, different…positions. You were always very good, by the way."

She blushed furiously. "It's been the same for me."

"Good to know," he said, recovered enough to turn on his side to face her. He leaned closer to kiss her sweetly. "I know I haven't even begun to fulfill yours. This first time seemed to be all about me."

He knew she hadn't climaxed, and he was glad she hadn't attempted to fake it with him; it would have been even more disappointing to him if she had.

"That's okay." Her fingers following the lightly furred trail that led lower. She felt his stomach jump beneath her hand. "You totally deserved it. And besides, it felt pretty damn wonderful to me."

"Hmm," he said dismissively. "Come take a shower with me, and I'll attempt to even out the score."

"I'll always be one up on you though," she teased.

He raised an eyebrow, knowing a challenge when he heard one.

Later, when she lay in a quivering heap upon the bed, there was no need to mention that she'd ended up owing _him_ one. Or was it two?

Lisbon had lost count.

**A/N: The conclusion is up next, folks. Thanks so much for reading! Please log in and review. Don't be afraid—I don't bite :).**


	6. Conclusion

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this to you! If you follow me on Twitter (please do!) you know I have been extremely busy moving to a new house. Now we are (mostly) settled in, I managed finally to conclude this fic. It is supersized, so I hope that makes it up for the delay. Thanks once more for those who have favorited and reviewed this story, as well as those who are reading my old fics. That is so flattering! There is no statute of limitations as far as reviewing goes, so don't be shy about letting me know what you think of any past stories too. Thanks again for boldly going on another story adventure with me. I've really had fun with this one.

**Chapter 6: Conclusion**

A sharp pounding woke the lovers just as they had settled into a deep sleep. Jane had completely wrapped himself around Lisbon, spooning her tightly, never wanting to let her go again, even in sleep.

"Lisbon! Fischer! Open up!"

It was Abbot.

Lisbon jerked awake, took in their situation in an instant—naked, now in Fischer's bed to escape the satin sheets—and went immediately into panic mode. She wriggled to extricate herself, but Jane just grinned and held her more tightly, his morning arousal pressing against her bottom.

"We have to get up, Jane. Abbot's at the door!"

"Hmm," said Jane, eyes still closed, a smile upon his blissful face. In exasperation, she managed to exert enough force to get away, then she threw the covers completely over him.

"Be quiet and still. Pretend you're Fischer."

"Sure," came his muffled reply. "Look at me: stiff as a board." He chuckled sleepily at his own joke.

"Lisbon!" called Abbot impatiently. She grabbed her thin robe from her luggage and pulled it on, hurrying to open the door.

"Sorry, sir," she said breathlessly, her face flushed in embarrassment and nervousness. "I was in the bathroom."

Abbot frowned. "Don't you two answer your phones? And whose idea was it to put the do not disturb on your room phone?"

Her brows knit in confusion, and she glanced at the bedside phone, the message light blinking softly. _Dammit, Wylie._

"There must have been some mistake with that, Boss. And I bet my battery died in my cell phone; I forgot to charge it last night." Well, that was true enough.

"And Fischer?" he asked suspiciously, glancing past her shoulder at the still form beneath the bedclothes of Fischer's bed.

"She was really tired last night, sir," she said. "Maybe she didn't hear her phone vibrate."

"Well…at any rate, I'm talking to you now. Major Nelson is back home."

"What?" she gasped in surprise, crossing her arms over the emerald green cotton of her robe.

"Early this morning, he just showed up at his front door. The kidnappers dropped him off a block away from his house and left him, barefoot, in only his skivvies, blindfolded."

"So the Houston PD guys didn't see the kidnappers then?" she asked.

"Nope. Wylie is with him at his house, and HPD is trying to get some security footage that might show the vehicle. Nelson wasn't able to see it, but he knows it must have been an SUV. Maybe Jane and Cho can pull some more details out of him."

"Oh. Okay. Let me get dressed and I'll get Fischer—"

At that moment, Cho's room door down the hall opened and Agent Fischer peeked out. Abbot's eyes zeroed in on her like a laser, and she froze, caught in his crosshairs like a frightened rabbit.

_Shit, _thought Lisbon and Fischer both.

Abbot frowned in supreme annoyance, nodding past Lisbon at the lumpy mass on the bed that was supposed to have been Fischer.

"Jane, I presume?" he said tightly, looking at her over his glasses.

Lisbon blushed furiously, and she glanced at Fischer down the hall, who shrugged apologetically and closed her door.

The jig up, Jane pulled down the blanket just enough to expose his smiling face. "Morning, Dennis."

"Good God, folks. What the hell is this, summer camp? Get yourselves together and meet me in the parking lot in ten minutes, or heads will roll."

Across the hall, another hotel patron opened his door. "Would you mind keeping it down out here? It's six o'clock in the morning for Christ's sake."

"Sorry," said Lisbon, and shut the door sheepishly. "Oh my God," she moaned to Jane.

Still grinning, he sat up on his elbows, the sheet falling to reveal his bare chest. Her heart gave a thump of awareness at the sight of him, hair impossibly tousled, sleepy green eyes, and that smug, sexy smile that made her stomach fill with butterflies. He had every reason to be smug, too, she thought, after the way he'd mastered her body last night.

"Come on, Lisbon, he was bound to find out—if he didn't already believe we'd been sneaking around anyway."

"But why did he have to find out in such a mortifying way?"

Jane got out of bed naked and padded over to her. Her eyes raked over his body in awe, forgetting for a moment the occupational hazards of this relationship—she couldn't believe this beautiful man was hers at last.

"Don't be embarrassed," he told her, brushing her dark hair from her eyes. "We love each other. Dennis knows that. And despite his grumpiness, he's going to give us a lot of leeway, so long as we're not going at it on my couch in the middle of the bullpen."

She grew fetchingly pink when that vivid image flashed in her mind, but she wrapped her arms around his waist, staring up into his dancing eyes.

"Was that one of your fantasy scenarios?" she asked him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact it was." He dropped a gentle kiss on her lips. "One of yours too, I imagine."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He grinned. "Liar," he said against her mouth.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fifteen minutes later, and they were riding in charged silence back to the Nelson residence. No one had been brave enough to ride with Abbot.

"Well, I know why Lisbon is so tense," Jane said brightly. He ignored her immediate slug in his thigh. "But what gives with you two?"

In the front seats, Cho and Fischer exchanged an uncomfortable glance.

"Abbot thinks we're sleeping together," said Cho.

"He what?" said Lisbon in horror, while Jane chuckled merrily.

"It's not funny," said Fischer.

"You didn't think to get your own room?" asked Jane.

"We didn't think it would be a big deal. We're both mature adults. Why waste a bed?" replied Fischer.

"I believe I said the same thing to Lisbon yesterday," said Jane, flinching in anticipation of Lisbon's reaction. He was going to have a huge bruise on his leg before the day was over.

"Well, now he'll think we're all a bunch of out-of-control sex addicts," said Fischer morosely.

"Meh, he just thinks that of Lisbon and me. I wouldn't worry too much about it. He knows you and Cho are much too professional to—ow!"

He supposed he deserved that one.

Cho shook his head to himself. He knew he should have stayed out of it. Nothing good ever came with mixing business with your personal life. He would know.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Please," said Mrs. Nelson. "He just got home. I'd like him to be checked out by our doctor."

"And he will be, ma'am," said Abbot gently. "Don't you want us to catch the people who took him? We just have a few questions that I'm afraid only your husband can help us with."

Major James Nelson, wrapped now in a robe to cover the t-shirt and boxer shorts he'd arrived home in, put a hand on his wife's arm to calm her.

"It's all right, Serena," Nelson said tiredly. "I'd just as soon get this over with so I can sleep for a week."

Abbot nodded to Cho as they sat once more at the familiar dining table in the Nelson home. Jane and Lisbon sat at the other end of the table, Jane trying to focus all his attention on the major, despite Lisbon's distracting perfume.

"What can you remember from when you were first abducted?" asked Cho.

Nelson heaved a sigh. "I was driving home, and suddenly I felt a gun at the back of my neck. Someone had been hiding in the backseat of my car."

"Did you know them?"

He hesitated. "No."

Cho looked deeply into the man's eyes, scanning for any hint of disingenuousness.

"Then what happened?"

"He made me pull over in a residential area, then he put a dark pillowcase over my head and I was tied up and shoved in the trunk, so I didn't see where we went. But we must have driven for about an hour. I was taken out and walked up a few steps into a house. I was put in a windowless bedroom, untied, and left there, locked in. It was a clean, comfortable room. I was given three squares a day and even had a television to watch. No one spoke to me."

"Any guesses as to who might have done this?" asked Jane.

A shadow crossed the man's features. "No," Nelson said.

"Who just came to your mind?" said Jane.

"No one."

"It was _someone_. First instincts are often correct."

But Nelson chose to be adamant. "I really don't know."

"Please," said Serena Nelson, looking appealingly at Abbot. "He's answered your questions. My husband has been through a terrible ordeal. He needs to go to the doctor, then have a long rest."

Abbot met Cho and Jane's eyes. Both men nodded slightly. They were finished with him, for now.

"Wylie," said Abbot, "have Houston PD escort Major Nelson and Mrs. Nelson to the hospital, please."

"Yes, sir."

When the reunited couple had left, Abbot looked once more at his team.

"He's lying," said Jane simply.  
"Yeah," agreed Cho.

"Why would he lie?" asked Fischer.

"Because he knows who kidnapped him, and doesn't want the person to get in trouble," Lisbon suggested.

"Very astute," said Jane proudly.

Lisbon looked heavenward. "I _am_ a trained investigator, Jane."

"Of course you are," he said, with mock condescension. She resisted the urge to kick him under the table. His eyes sparkled at her dilemma, and he knew he'd pay later. Actually, he thought wickedly, he was looking forward to it.

"You don't think he was in on this whole plot, do you?" asked Abbot. "That this was some sort of fraud?"

"No," said Jane. "The major displays the usual signs of emotional victimization, though he wasn't harmed otherwise. My money is still on Garret. And I know just how to get Nelson to show his hand…"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The hospital kept Nelson for a few hours for observation, though the man was physically in excellent condition. He wasn't even dehydrated, merely tired. They let him sleep for a few hours, his wife firmly ensconced in the chair at his bedside.

The team, meanwhile, with the help of the Houston Police Department, was scouring video footage once more to try to find visual evidence to support Nelson's story, as well as to help determine the kidnapper's identity. But with no specific help from Nelson, it seemed unlikely they would catch them. Nelson's car, missing since his abduction, turned up in a residential area several blocks away, where there were no surveillance cameras. The Houston PD forensics unit began scouring it for fingerprints and DNA.

They set up shop at the police department and Jane helped himself to tea in the break room. Lisbon, her eyes bleary from staring at a computer all morning, refilled her coffee cup with the usual bitter swill one found in a law enforcement facility. Jane longed to take her in his arms and plant a kiss on the tense line between her eyebrows, but he restrained himself, knowing now, in full, vivid detail, what he'd be allowed to do with her later. After having finally had her, Jane was actually relishing the anticipation now, instead of letting it overpower his thought processes.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

She looked up from pouring sugar into her cup.

"I'm just really tired. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Hm," he agreed, his eyes growing dark at the memory.

She blushed, and Jane's eyes were drawn to the top of her purple blouse. She had buttoned it to her neck.

"Maybe if you loosened a few of those buttons you'd be able to relax a bit more."

Her cheeks reddened even more. "I can't," she whispered. "I'm covered with beard burn."

Jane's grin was slow and wide. His hand came up to caress his scruff proudly. He hadn't taken the time to shave in a few days. It pleased him to no end to think he'd left his mark on her. Neanderthal of him, but still.

"Oh, yeah?"

"It's not funny," she said, her voice dropping even lower. "You wouldn't believe the places I have it."

He could well imagine, actually. He figured her pale inner thighs must be bright red now with the rash. Arousal stirred at the memories, but he forced his hands to stay on his steaming cup of tea.

"Sorry," he said unapologetically. "Is it painful?"

"No," she managed, meeting his eyes. "Not in the least." A knowing smile passed between them, and they sipped their hot beverages in silence.

Fischer arrived then, and she looked at the pair of lovers with a small smile. The palpable tension was still there between them, but it felt more like something warm and tender now, rather than the simmering volcano that had been so uncomfortable for everyone else before. _Operation Parent Trap_ had been a success, despite the unfortunate blow to her and Cho's reputations.

Lisbon directed a shy grin at Fischer, before making some excuse about getting back to work, and Fischer took her place at the coffee maker.

"Thanks," said Jane with heartfelt emotion. He touched the agent's arm and she looked at him, his soulful expression making her catch her breath.

"You're welcome," she said, exhaling softly.

She shook her head as she watched him stroll with his usual grace back out into the bullpen.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**Major Garret, how does it feel to finally realize your dream, at the age of sixty-four?**_

_It's incredible, far surpassing anything I might have imagined. _

_**And yet, you almost missed your chance at this mission.**_

_Yes, but by the grace of God, it all worked out. Unfortunately, it came at the price of Major James Nelson's illness. _

_**Yes, we heard. Yet no one has been able to find out exactly what is wrong with the major. Can you shed some light on Major Nelson's condition?**_

_I'm sorry, but I don't know any more than you, I'm afraid. But wherever you are, Jim, I hope you are well and in the safe company of your beautiful wife, Serena. I owe you one, buddy._

_**Well, the people of Earth would like to wish you a safe, successful mission, Major Garret. Congratulations.**_

_Thank you! And love to my wife, Morgan and my wonderful children, and of course, to all you good people down on Earth... _

Jane clicked off the TV using the remote control by Nelson's hospital bed. Abruptly, the image of Garret's floating body, hanging in mid air within a corridor of the International Space Station, was replaced by a dark screen. Jane had been watching Nelson instead of the TV during the entire interview (which Abbot had successfully arranged using his clout as a senior FBI agent), his eyes sharpening as Garret spoke of owing Nelson.

"That was nice of Garret," said Jane. "Mentioning you like that."

"Yes," said Nelson.

Abbot and Lisbon sat on the window seat of the private room while Jane sat in the easy chair by Nelson's bed.

"Does this stir any memories?" asked Abbot, having noting also Nelson's deceptively bland face. He looked like a man trying very hard to school his expression.

"No."

"You don't wish you were up there?" asked Lisbon. "I bet there's no better feeling than floating in space."

Nelson smiled a little then. "No, there isn't."

At that moment, Serena Nelson came in the hospital room, bearing a plastic covered plate from the hospital cafeteria. Abbot had made arrangements for the NASA channel to play the video the moment he texted them, which had been right after Nelson's wife had left the room.

"What's this?" she asked, taking in the mood of the room all at once, particularly that of her husband.

"Just some follow-up questions, ma'am," said Abbot. He looked to Jane, asking without words if they were done there. He nodded slightly.

The three FBI employees rose as one, Abbot commenting that they may have further questions, and then they left Nelson to his wife and his cafeteria cheeseburger.

Past the two guards stationed at Nelson's door, Abbot stopped and led them into an empty hospital room, closing the door behind them.

"Well?" he said, eyes fixed on Jane. "Did you get what you needed in there?"

Jane hesitated. "Yes."

"He knows it was Garret, doesn't he?" asked Lisbon.

"Yes," said Jane reluctantly.

"But he's just going to let the old man get away with it," said Abbot.

"I think we should let him," said Jane.

"But Garret arranged a kidnapping. Extorted reward money," Lisbon protested. "We can't just let him get away with it. He might have killed him."

"But he didn't," Jane countered. His eyes met Abbot's, and he could see the conflict in the agent's eyes. "Come on, Dennis," said Jane softly.

Abbot's phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. It was Wylie. Maybe they'd found something on the surveillance video.

"What do you have for me, Agent Wylie?"

"Sir, the ransom money that was transferred out of the Nelson account is well…_back_."

"What?"

"It's all there again, all five-hundred thousand."

"Huh."

"What should I do now, sir?"

"Try again to get a trace on that account, and keep looking at those videos. Thanks, Wylie."

"Yes, sir."

The phone reception had been so good that Jane and Lisbon had clearly heard both sides of the conversation.

"See," said Jane. "Garret's trying to make amends. He wasn't trying to hurt anyone. He just wanted his chance—his _last_ chance—to go into space. Is there a more lofty goal in life? Don't you remember watching the space shuttles launch when you were a kid? How cool was that?"

Abbot glanced at Lisbon, his expression turning wry. "Is this what you've had to put up with all these years?"

Lisbon grinned. "If Jane has done one thing for me as an investigator, he's shown me there are no absolutes in anything. Gone are my days of seeing things as purely black and white. With him, the entire world is actually one big, frustrating, gray area." She finished her speech with an involuntary, affectionate glance at Jane. She caught herself and looked away, but not before Jane saw it and smiled in return, not even trying to hide his love for her.

Abbot sighed. "Well, unless something unexpected comes up, we have no real proof of anything, do we?"

"No, sir," said Lisbon.

"We'll stay the rest of the day and see what turns up. Otherwise, we'll leave this case in the capable hands of NASA and Houston PD."

Jane reached out and patted Abbot on the big man's arm, hard and muscular, even through his shirt and suit coat. "You're doing the right thing, Dennis."

Abbot shook his head. "Whatever the hell that means," he said with a note of exasperation.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They arrived back at the Austin office at around eight that night, Cho, Fischer, Lisbon, and Jane riding in the FBI SUV, Abbot and Wylie in the rental. The team went their separate ways in the parking lot, except for Jane and Lisbon, who walked together to her personal vehicle, where she'd parked it only a few days before. So much had happened since then…

"You want a lift to the trailer park?" she asked, thinking with wrinkled nose of his cramped little Airstream.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my house." They got into her small SUV, Lisbon at the wheel.

Jane raised an eyebrow. "You kept your house? Why?"

She drove out of the parking lot behind Cho, and Jane noted she took a right instead of the left that would lead them to where his Airstream was parked. He smiled knowingly in the darkness of the cab.

"Well, Marcus had paid for the furnished apartment in DC," she replied. "I figured I may as well hold onto my house."

"A back-up plan?" he asked softly.

"Something like that."

"Hm."

She didn't comment. They both knew why she'd kept it. He reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"The fridge is empty, and my clothes were already shipped to his place. All I have is what I took with me to Florida."

"That's okay," said Jane, a wicked smile in his voice. "You won't need any clothes."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The last (and first) time he'd been to Lisbon's Austin house, was on that ill-fated night he'd brought her canolli. He'd never gotten past the front door (thanks to Pike), and he was pleasantly surprised at how homey she'd made the place, unlike the impersonal apartment she'd had back in Sacramento. It looked like she'd finally become comfortable with herself, he realized, and for some reason, it made him a bit melancholy.

She hung up her purse and jacket on the coat rack in the foyer, and dropped her overnight bag on the floor. Jane's duffle joined it, and he walked further into the house to explore.

"I might have some tea," she said, moving past him to the kitchen.

"Sounds good," he said distractedly. He paused at her bookshelves to look at the framed pictures of her family and a couple of old pets, as well as the eclectic display of crime novels and Jane Austen.

"I'm glad we ate on the road," she called over the sound of a filling teakettle. "Because my cupboards are definitely bare. I'll have to get groceries in the morning."

Jane noticed a couple of small, decorative boxes on a lower shelf, and shaking one, he knew immediately that this was where she had kept his letters. He set it down with a grin, not even bothering to confirm his supposition. He moved to her overstuffed couch and made himself comfortable, even toeing off his shoes with audible relief. A few minutes later, Lisbon found him, half-asleep against the plump cushions.

The fragrant scent of orange spice stirred him to open his eyes, and Lisbon set his tea and saucer on the coffee table before joining him on the couch. She'd also removed her shoes and tucked her stocking feet beneath her as she sat with her own cup of tea, watching him with deceptive idleness.

Her nervousness was a tangible thing. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he picked up a familiar looking cup—Fiestaware, turquoise blue. His heart swelled with nostalgia. If he'd only come to her house sooner (when Pike wasn't there) and seen how she'd bought his favorite china, how she'd kept his letters, he would have had no doubt that she loved him, that she'd pined for him as much as he had for her. So much wasted time.

"Nice cup," he said, his eyes sparkling.

"Thank you. Sorry, no cream. Bare fridge, too."

"Hm," he hummed in appreciation, sipping his tea. The cup felt pleasantly comfortable in his hand.

"Are you tired?" she asked, her face turning pink. "I mean, you are welcome to take a shower, sleep in the guest room if you want to get some sleep. Or we could watch a DVD. I already had the cable turned off, so-"

She was rambling, and Jane felt it wonderfully endearing. It matched the skittering nature of his heart.

He grinned. "Are you suggesting I _won't_ get any sleep if I share your bed, Agent Lisbon? Or am I not invited?"

"Oh, you're definitely invited," she said boldly. "And we can do whatever you like—I mean, just to sleep, or…not." She was still blushing, but she was looking him straight in the eye with a confidence that he felt in his groin.

He took another sip of tea, pretending to contemplate his options, but they both knew, despite being tired, where the evening would end.

"Let's take a shower," he suggested, "then share that lovely bed of yours. Just to sleep…or not."

"Okay," she said, but then her smile took a seductive turn. "But first…I have a proposition for you."

He lifted an eyebrow. "I know I'm out of practice, Lisbon, but didn't you _just_ proposition me?"

"Well, yes. But this is something else entirely. Something very daring. Dangerous even. If you're brave enough, that is."

His heart gave a loud thump. He swallowed a mouthful of tea, pleased he didn't choke on it. He calmly set down his cup and saucer, his face filled with gravity, though his eyes sparkled with sensual curiosity.

"Danger is my middle name, Teresa."

She rolled her eyes and smiled, then after setting down her own cup, reached for his hand and led him toward the bathroom. He followed her down the hall with a mixture of curiosity and sudden arousal. Inside the small room, she closed the lid of the toilet, then pushed him down gently to sit upon the padded cover. With loving hands, she caressed his stubbly cheek, then leaned down to give him a soft kiss. His hand came up to press on the back of her head, deepening the kiss far beyond her initial intention.

She pulled breathlessly away. "Hey, I'm going to need to be steady and calm if I'm going to do this right."

"Oh?" Curiosity was warring with excitement now

She slipped her hands beneath the shoulder pads of his suit coat, then he helped her slide it off his body. She hung it with care on the hook on the back of the door. Next, he felt her fingers at the buttons of his shirt, and he helped her along by unbuttoning his cuffs. Soon, he was sitting before her, naked from the waist up.

Lisbon turned the water on hot in the sink until it began steaming, then she reached into the cabinet above Jane to fish out a hand towel. Her breasts were right at his eye level and he couldn't resist drawing her closer, his hands on her back, his face buried in her purple clad bosom. She kissed the top of his head and moved away to toss the hand towel in the hot water.

He watched in fascination as she squeezed out the excess water, then she met his eyes—hers shining warmly—and he knew what she was up to. The heat from the towel was shocking on his roughly bearded cheeks, and he scooted back against the toilet tank, closing his eyes blissfully.

"Leave this on for a few minutes to get you all softened up."

"Small chance of that," he teased, his voice muffled by the towel. His legs shifted uncomfortably, and he didn't even bother hiding the bulge beneath his trousers.

She chuckled, and he listened as she rooted around the cabinet beneath the sink.

"Anyone ever shave you before?" she asked.

"Just my barber," he said, his voice muffled. "But he wasn't nearly as pretty as you."

"Aw. Then you're in for a real treat…and so am I," she finished dryly.

His eyes opened in surprise when he heard the sound of a straight-edged razor whipping across a strop. He'd expected her to use one of her pink safety razors, but he'd grossly underestimated her definition of _dangerous_. The straight-edge razor was of the folding variety, shining silver and terrifyingly sharp.

"Teresa…" he said hoarsely, the first sound of nervousness in his throat.

"Shh, don't worry. I'm very good at this."

He swallowed, and he watched, eyes round, as she mixed the shaving soap in a traditional cup with a fluffy shaving brush. She removed the towel from his softened whiskers, and his heart skittered in anticipation. She spent a fun few moments lathering up his cheeks, neck, and chin, his heart pounding. A small smile hovered around her lips as she worked, but Jane could barely enjoy it—his gaze kept returning to the blade resting on the sink counter.

She paused, feeling his tension.

"Relax," she told him, her eyes soft and faintly amused by the trepidation she saw there. "Consider this my version of a trust fall."

"I trust you Lisbon," he replied, so quickly it was comical-especially with half his face caked in white cream.

"I'm really very good at this, Jane."

"How?" he managed, his voice breaking a bit.

She dropped a kiss on his nose, then playfully topped it off with a dollop of shaving soap. She picked up the razor, opening it carefully at the hinge, and, taking the instrument in one hand, she pushed one of his cheeks taut with the other. Meeting his eyes, she paused (purely for dramatic effect, thought Jane).

"My grandfather taught me. 'Reese,' he told me, 'every woman worth her salt knows how to give a man a proper shave. Do that, and he'll never ever stray.' Now, hold still."

Slowly and delicately, she positioned the razor where his beard began on his left cheek, alarmingly near his earlobe. "At first, he would only let me practice on balloons—" she continued, making a sweeping pass with the blade—"and when I no longer popped them, he let me try on him." She made a second pass in the same area, then rinsed the blade. She looked critically at her handiwork, and gave a small smile of satisfaction at the smooth skin she'd revealed.

She finished up that cheek, then tilted his head to begin on the other side.

"How many other men have you done this for?" Jane asked suspiciously, as a disturbing thought occurred to him. Did she shave every Tom, Dick and Pike she dated?

"Hmm…well, there was Grandad, then my father, then my brothers, and then…Greg."

Jane remembered her ex-fiancé. Nice guy. He suddenly felt oddly jealous that Greg had been the first in that regard. In a number of regards, to tell the truth. But he had to quit thinking of these things. They both had a past. They were both in their forties—not young kids anymore.

As she paused to rinse the blade, Jane said: "So, you are a bit out of practice, then."

"It's like riding a bike, Jane…"

"Only a bike normally isn't capable of lopping off your ear if you slip. And I don't have the painting skills to pull off a Van Gogh."

"I guess you'll just have to trust me."

His hand came up to still her wrist before she made the next pass across his neck. He met her eyes.

"I am literally putting my life in your hands here."

"Yes you are. And how does _that_ feel?"

He eyed the razor. "A little scary, I have to say. But also, strangely…sexy."

She pressed her lips briefly to his, mindful of the soapy shaving cream.

"And you wouldn't believe how turned on _I_ am," she said huskily, "wielding this power over you."

His eyes darkened. "Now how am I supposed to stay still after that?"

She shrugged, then lifted his chin up for a better angle. "Guess you'll have to use some of your famous biofeedback skills. Now, hush so I don't cut you."

Jane obediently grew quiet, and found, to his surprise, that he could actually relax a bit (or as much as possible with a razor near his jugular). It was a huge step forward for him, trusting someone so utterly and completely. True, he had always trusted Lisbon on some level, mainly due to her unimpeachable character, but he'd held back a part of himself, not wanting her to see his dark side, or witness his childish insecurities. But only since he'd declared himself on that plane mere days ago, had he felt a kind of release he hadn't since two years before that, on his knees in a Sacramento park. He could trust her now, without reservations, without fear, without the need to protect her from himself.

She finished shaving him after a few minutes, but during that the time, he watched her, saw the intense care and concentration on her lovely face. He loved this woman with all of himself, he realized, and he never wanted to be without her, wanted to trust her with the rest of his life.

"There," Lisbon said, stepping back from him in appreciation of her work.

She reached for the wet towel to wipe the residual soap from his face, and after she cleaned the tip of his nose, the intensity in his eyes stopped her. Her eyebrows knit with concern.

"Jane? You okay?" She examined his face from all angles. "Did I cut you?"

"Marry me," he said, to her utter surprise. And to his.

"What?"

"Don't think about it, Teresa. Just…let yourself fall."

She stared into his eyes for half a minute, gauging _his_ sincerity; she didn't have to think about what _she_ wanted. She laid her hands upon his wonderfully smooth cheeks.

"Yes," she told him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later, Lisbon lay in his arms in her bed, sated in body, full in heart, mind awhirl with the enormity of his question.

And her answer.

"I guess I still owe you dinner," he said, referring to the wager they'd made a few days before.

"Maybe. Although, now that I think of it, the terms of that bet weren't exactly clear. I think the deal was, you could take me out if you managed to keep your hands to yourself. You didn't. I certainly didn't. It seems to me I would win either way. I don't know why it made sense at the time…"

He sighed, drawing her closer to his side, kissing the top of her head.

"We both win. I still would like to take you out, however. We have a lot to celebrate, you and I."

She caressed his face, loving the way it had felt upon her bare skin, how she would have no rashes tomorrow—anywhere. She nuzzled into his neck and breathed him in.

"I can't believe this is happening," she said softly. "It's so…surreal."

He lifted her left hand from beneath the covers, holding his own palm to hers. Her hand was so tiny next to his. It made him smile.

"I can hardly believe it either. But I'm not sorry I asked." He laced his fingers with hers. "Second thoughts?"

"No. But I'm a little scared, I'm not gonna lie. I don't want to screw this up. I don't want _you _to screw it up."

Jane didn't take offense at that at all. But he would do his level best to make her happy. He wouldn't be a perfect husband, but she knew what she was getting.

He shifted, turning over onto his stomach to look at her, her face still flushed from their recent exertions.

"Think about those first astronauts, Lisbon. How scared they must have been to go into space, to step onto the moon…"

She smiled, her hands going to his face. She couldn't get over its incredible smoothness. No disposable razor could give this close of a shave. She would do this as often as he would let her, she decided.

"Boldly going where no man—"

"Or _woman_—"

"Etcetera, etcetera," he finished.

"Many people have gotten married, Jane; we are by no means the first."

"But it will be the first for the two of us together, Teresa" He paused to consider. "The two of us," he repeated, marveling. "_Married_."

"Sort of like a mission to Mars, isn't it," she said wryly.

"Without a chart to show the way."

"Or even oxygen." She pulled him down for a kiss.

A few moments later, he settled onto his back again, pulling her close to his side. She laid her head on his chest, his heartbeat a reassuring rhythm beneath her ear.

"What will people say about me," said Lisbon, thinking of her second love—being a cop. "I was just involved with one man a week ago, now I'm with another?"

"I say to hell with all of them, but I know you really care about such trivial matters. Just remember-Abbot, and everyone else who really knows us-will understand. Hell, the whole team played a part in getting us together in one way or another, even the boss. If you can manage to keep your hands off me at work—"

He winced, even though the punch to the arm was expected. It would no doubt compliment the bruising she'd given his thigh.

"Geeze, Lisbon, I think you need a refresher course on that anger management problem you've still got going on."

"I'll show you anger management," she said, almost violently climbing atop him, pinning his wrists on the pillow above his head, her eyes filled with sensual mischief. He smiled up at her in the dim light, his body already fully engaged for whatever lay ahead.

**THE END**

A/N: Hope you found this to be a satisfying end. Thanks for reading, and I would love to hear what you think!

I have some ideas for an AU (or two) coming up. Follow me on Twitter for updates. See you soon!


End file.
